Serpent Fangs and Lion Hearts
by slytherin-kittycat
Summary: COMPLETE! SEQUEL to Serpent Fang in the Lions Den It's now Draco and Hermione's final year at Hogwarts, and everything should be going fine. But when Lucius escapes dangerous things begin to happen. Will their relationship survive the year? Will they?
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer:** I'm not J.K. Rowling, I do not own Harry Potter, I do however own the plot to this story, and I hope you all enjoy reading it!

**A/N: **I debated making all of you, my wonderful readers, wait over a year for this sequel, however, since I am not J.K. Rowling, I didn't think that would go over too well. So here it is, the first chapter of my second fanfic, and the sequel to _"Serpent Fang in the Lions Den."_

Welcome, to _"Serpent Fangs and Lion Hearts"_ enjoy!!

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**Chapter 1: St. Mungo's**

He was still in the hospital room at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, he had been there for three months, barely moving from his bed, hardly eating, hardly sleeping. He was in a large private room in the long-term care ward. However, unlike most of the other long term patients, his room bore no decoration from home, nothing from his family. No cards wishing him well, no gifts from friends. No one seemed to care that he was here.

Not that he cared about the lack of kindness from his friends and family, he preferred it that way. Emotions were weak and futile, only for those who lacked power in the world. The only one he cared to hear from was the one he feared most. All day and night his mind was plagued with cold fear for what his master would do to him, for he knew his master would come for him. It was just a question of when.

It was dead of night on a warm night at the end of August when his question was finally answered. There was no moon out, and even the stars seemed to dim in fear of the evil magical being that was creeping beneath them. The wind howled through the trees, banging against the large window which covered one wall of his room. He lay sleeping restlessly on the stark white bed, just as he had lain every night since he had arrived here. He had neglected to take his dreamless sleep potion, just as always, he did not need medicine. Medicine was for the weak, and he was strong. Yet he had failed. He had failed in his mission; that was the reason he was here. He slept soundlessly with fear shrouding him like a blanket, refusing to leave him. What really happened that night months ago would not be kept a secret for long. His master would know the truth, and he would not be pleased.

He awoke suddenly breathing as if he had just run a marathon, drenched in a cold sweat. He felt a presence within his room, the very personification of fear and evil. "M. . . m . . .master?"

A high cruel voice colder than ice responded, "you have failed me."

Upon hearing a response, the man jumped off the bed, fell to his knees, and bowed to the floor. "Master, I beg your forgiveness. It was that muggle loving fool Albus Dumbledore's fault. Please allow me to prove my dedication to you my Lord. I will not fail you again!"

"I must admit, I was very disappointed, and most displeased to hear that one who claimed to be among my most faithful failed me so miserably," answered the cold voice.

"I am among your most faithful my Lord!" he pleaded desperately, still on his knees. "I never wished to disappoint my Lord. Master please allow me a second chance! I am prepared this time! I will not be caught in the same trap again! I will not fail you!"

"Lord Voldemort does not grant second chances, nor does he forget failures."

"M . .My Lord?" he stuttered.

The cold voice chuckled, "yet I do sense genuine regret in your tone for having failed me."

"More than you know my Lord! I never wished to fail you!"

"You say you are prepared, you have a plan then? A plan which will succeed, unlike your last miserable attempt?"

He stood quickly and answered with excitement in his voice, "yes my Lord, I have a plan. I will need help in order for it to succeed, but this plan cannot fail like the last one. Last time I was too lenient, I regretfully admit. I will not underestimate them this time, this time I will be in complete control of their every move."

"I must admit I have thought quite a few times of taking care of him myself, however I resisted until I heard the whole story from you. Yet you say that you will not underestimate _them,_ I was unaware there were others involved. Now I am glad I did not act." Voldemort paused in his speech apparently thinking. "Very well, very well, I shall grant you a second chance. But know this, the moment you mess up, the second something unexpected happens, you will me most grievously punished."

"It would only be what I deserve my Lord."

There was amusement in Lord Voldemorts voice when he next spoke, "now, tell me exactly what happened to put you in here, then I am eager to hear more about this plan of yours, I am most interested in hearing the particulars, and why you feel it will work this time."

The two wizards talked quietly into the dark and silent night. By dawn, the plan was fully formed and perfected. Lord Voldemort slipped silently out of the room before the Healers began their morning rounds. The Death Eater lay in his bed, truly relaxing for the first time since he arrived. His mistake was going to be repaired, everything was back on track. He smiled slightly to himself as he closed his eyes, feigning sleep until the Healer entered to awake him for a new day.

"Good morning," smiled the Healer happily as she entered the room, "how are you feeling today?"

"Perfect," he answered simply.

"Excellent!" cheered the Healer, she had never seen him so at ease before, and it made her happy to see that her patient finally seemed to be recovering after three long months of little progress. "Well, let me give you an overall checkup, and then we'll see about some breakfast."

He nodded curtly and allowed the healer to go about her business.

"Well," she sighed with satisfaction, "you do seem to be doing much better today. Keep making improvements like this, and you'll be back home in no time!"

"Is that so?" he asked with sudden interest, "in that case, I better keep improving hadn't I?"

"Indeed" she answered sweetly, happy to finally see her patient in a good mood, he had seemed angry since the day he was admitted. Not that that was unusual, after all very few people are in a good mood after they've been admitted to St. Mungo's for spell damage. His injury had not been particularly traumatic; however, before today he didn't seem to have the drive to recover. The healer vaguely wondered what happened to spark the drive, but she didn't question him about it. In her mind, whatever encouraged her patients to recover was a good thing. She smiled as she left him with his breakfast tray, bidding him good morning as she closed the door behind her.

- - - - - - - - - -

That night, the Earth was unusually still. The wind did not howl, and an unnatural peace hung over everyone. At precisely midnight, a bright yellow light threw the window to his room open, the window, which until that moment, was not permanently sealed shut.

The cold voice spoke, "come my servant, it is time we leave and put the plan into action."

The man bowed towards the open window, "yes my Lord, thank you my Lord." He stepped to the edge of the windowsill, and with complete confidence stepped off the edge. He was caught by an invisible force, which transported him to a room. The room was dirty and rather barren. It was furnished with a fireplace, which was crackling with a dancing orange flame, and an armchair, which was facing the fire.

"Master!" the man bowed to the figure sitting in the chair.

"My servant," greeted Lord Voldemort with his cold sinister voice, "join me," he motioned to his side, where a second armchair appeared.

The Death Eater obediently approached his master and sat in the chair. Once he was seated, he and his master stared into the fire, each laughing a cold maniacal laugh, which seemed to cut straight through the stillness of the night, destroying all peace it touched.

Hundreds of miles away, a young man named Draco Malfoy jerked awake in a cold sweat. He sat up in his oversized four poster bed, breathing heavily. He looked around his dark room, which was lit only a bit from the light of the moon creeping in through the glass paneled doors which opened to his small balcony. He ran his hand though his hair, which was damp with sweat. Why had he woken up? He could not remember having a nightmare, nor did he hear anything that would have woken him. In fact the Earth seemed very calm and peaceful. Yet, as he walked out on the balcony outside of his room and felt the warm breeze against his skin, he could not shake the feeling of dread that had crept in on him in his sleep. This was not the first time he had felt as if something bad was going on, but this was the first time he had woken up in the dead of night with the feeling, and her rarely felt it this strong.

All the other times he knew that the feeling was just his nerves, left over from everything that had happened last year. He could not shake the feeling that something was wrong, but this time the feeling was different. It was more urgent, as if something had happened that was incredibly important to his wellbeing, but what it could be he had no idea.

After a long time standing on the balcony, looking out at the grounds of the manor, he decided to attempt to go back to sleep. He needed a goodnights rest; he needed to clear his mind. As he lay down he filled his mind of the upcoming year. Of returning to the safe-harbor of Hogwarts, of being head boy, but what finally lulled him back to sleep, were his thoughts about Hermione.

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I hope everyone liked the first chapter!

To anyone who may be reading this fic, but did not read the first story (Serpent Fang in the Lions Den) don't worry, the next chapter has a brief explanation of what happened last year so you will understand a bit of what went on. (Of course if you read the original fic, you would know exactly what happened last year _wink _J).

And to all my loyal readers from the first story, I cannot thank you enough for all the support and encouragement you gave me on my first fic, so I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations (and in case you're wondering, we see Hermione and the gang in the next chapter J).

Whether you read the first fic or not, please submit a review to let me know how you liked this chapter! It will be greatly appreciated!!


	2. Chapter 2: At the Burrow

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Disclaimer: **I'm not J.K. Rowling, so I do not own Harry Potter 

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I love hearing from you guys so much!

_twistedtwin, Jaezi, fieryred20, jesska-14, SCInfinity, JessicaDracoMalfoy, Jessie, Sunflower18, Krazy Krysia, Kyra Malfoy, ilovetom88, sad-soulz, HarryPotterFan670, melovedraco, Ginny-W13, shadow-n-the-dark, Stella _- thanks for the reviews! I hope you all like this chapter!  
_ydole3343_ – yup Lucius is back (evil laugh) and trust me; nothing is ever smooth sailing for long between Draco and Hermione! Thanks for the review!  
_Kara Black_ – I'm glad that you liked the mystery of the chapter, that's exactly what I was going for! I hope you like this chapter too!  
_NeVeRmInD2_ – thank you very much, I'll do my best to make sure that this story lives up to your expectations!  
_FalconWing _– Definitely Lucius has it in for them (evil laugh). Hope you enjoy this chapter!  
_elektra30_ – I'm glad you liked how I set it up, I think it makes the tone of the fic a bit darker than the last one. I hope the rest of the chapters continue to live up to your expectations! Thanks for the review!_  
zuvalupa_ – I'm glad it became clear by the end, and I'm glad that you liked the chapter. Hope you like this one too!  
_FallenBrokenAngel – _Thank you so much! I hope I manage to make You-Know-Who sound realistic. Hope you continue to like it!  
_angelchic4ever – _I'm glad you liked the first chapter, and I'm glad the world is exciting and good J Thanks for the review!  
_Kacie_ – I thought people might be curious, but she Harry, Ron, and Ginny are in this chapter. And don't worry, terrible things will definitely happen to them. (dun dun dun!)  
_Phoebe Telumetar_ – They have suffered a lot, but they can't just breeze through this story, it wouldn't be any good if they did! And I agree, every dark chapter must be followed by a happy one, so here's your happy one.  
_BleedingHeart14 – _Yes it's horrid, I'm glad you're confident in me. I hope this story lives up to your expectations!

I hope everyone likes this chapter!

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**Chapter 2: At The Burrow**

"No no, I really don't think this is a good idea!"

"Come on Hermione it will be fun trust me!" urged Ron.

"But Ron you know I'm scared of heights!" argued Hermione desperately as Ron tried to make her get on the broomstick. "Guys help me!" she shouted to Harry and Ginny, who were circling around the air, already on their brooms.

Harry wasn't paying attention, he was thinking about that morning. He had woken up to the feeling of his scar burning again; an incident which hadn't happened in over a year. It wasn't a painful burning, just a dull sensation, coupled with the feeling a cruel happiness. He hadn't told Ron or Hermione about it, he didn't want to spend the last few days of summer vacation with them worrying over something that was really nothing. Harry shook the thoughts from his head. 'It was nothing to worry about' he tried to convince himself, it had happened loads of times before, and the pain was completely gone now.

"Ron, leave Hermione alone!" Ginny ordered, coming to the rescue of her friend.

"Oh all right," Ron conceded, finally giving in, "but if you change your mind, feel free to fly up and join us."

"Right Ron," nodded Hermione knowing full well that the only way she was going to get on a broomstick would be if her life depended on it. She then added in a sarcastic tone, "if an army of blast-ended skrewts suddenly tries to attack me, I may fly up there, but only if there's no other way to escape."

"Alright Hermione," answered Ron sweetly as he kicked off the ground and joined Harry and Ginny in the air.

Hermione watched as Ron, Harry and Ginny flew around passing balls back in forth to each other, mimicking a quidditch game. She walked over to a nearby tree and sat in the shade, enjoying the peace and quite for once. She loved coming to the Burrow at the end of the summer, but sometimes it was just a little too crowded for her taste, so whenever she had these moments to herself, she enjoyed them to the fullest.

She closed her eyes and instantly saw his face; that strong well defined face, his smooth flawless skin, those perfect lips that she longed to kiss once more. His platinum blonde hair, which fell perfectly just slightly in front of his eyes . . . oh those eyes, Hermione's breath caught in her chest at the thought of his eyes. The were deep gray, silver almost, his eyes could either show absolutely nothing, (as they had the first five years she had known him,) or they could reveal his every emotion, as she became fully aware of last year when she and Draco Malfoy, the price of Slytherin himself, began dating.

It certainly had not been an expected or likely partnership, but they had each grown to like, no to love, each other after being forced to work on an advanced potions project alone together. A lot had happened last year, Hermione had fallen in love, only to feel as if her heart had been ripped from her chest and torn up into tiny pieces when she caught Draco cheating on her. She didn't discover until months later that the affair had been a fake, a plan Draco devised to keep Hermione safe from his father. Lucius, just the thought of the man made her shiver in fear. It was startling how the man who shared so many features with Draco, the one she loved, could make her heart stop in fear just with the thought of him. Lucius, in Hermione's opinion, was the personification of pure evil.

Hermione still had nightmares about that night, the night their potion was completed, and she stumbled upon Draco's plot and his true feelings for her. She had gone to rescue him from Lucius, and instead of her saving him, he ended up nearly giving his life to save her. If it hadn't been for their potion, he would have died. Hermione still couldn't believe that he was alive, but sure enough he was, as she was constantly reminded by the numerous letters he sent her over the summer. A feeling of exhilaration swept through her each time she was Aries, (Draco's eagle owl) approaching.

She took a breath and smiled to herself, she could not wait to see him again. The two month summer had gone very slowly for Hermione with her thoughts constantly on Draco. She got a giddy feeling of butterflies in her stomach when she thought about the approaching year. She and Draco were the head girl and boy, meaning they each got their own room, and they shared a common room separate from everyone else. She blushed and suppressed a giggle at the thoughts of what could possibly happen with that set up, but she knew that Draco would never try to take advantage of her, so she wasn't worried.

"Hermione! Hey Hermione!" Ron shouted from afar, successfully ripping Hermione from her daydream about Draco and sent her crashing back into reality. She took a deep annoyed breath, and opened her eyes, trying not to look frustrated at Ron, though he truly was beginning to piss her off.

"Hermione watch this!" Ron cried happily, then began showing Hermione some new spin trick he had just mastered on his broom.

Harry and Ginny viewed Ron sympathetically, and Hermione pretended to be happy for him. They all knew that Ron was trying to impress Hermione. He still had a bad crush on her, and he could not accept the fact that she was in love with Draco. Hermione tried to be nice to Ron when he was like this, but it really annoyed her, especially when she had been having such a nice quiet moment to herself.

"That's great Ron!" Hermione shouted, sounding much more annoyed than supportive. She then got up and headed alone back to the Burrow praying to Merlin that Ron wouldn't follow her.

"Hermione you alright?" Ron shouted as he made to chase after her.

But he was stopped by Ginny, who flew directly in his path, "Ron! Can't you see that Hermione wants to be alone right now, just giver her some space."

"Alright, I was just trying to make sure she's okay," Ron said defensively.

"She's fine Ron, just leave her alone for a while," assured Ginny.

So Hermione made her way back to the Burrow alone, she entered and sat at the kitchen table, once again thinking about how much she missed Draco, she sighed sadly as she sat. She was thinking about him more and more as school drew closer, and the fact that she hadn't received a letter from him in over two weeks bothered her a bit. She knew he was busy, but she had almost come to depend on his frequent letters, little reminders to show that he truly did love her.

She subconsciously raised her hand over her heart. That was where the dragon pendant Draco had given her for Christmas hung beneath her shirt. She kept it hidden because no one had ever told Mrs. Weasley about Hermione and Draco, and Hermione didn't think it would go over too well if Mrs. Weasley found out who had given it to her. Mrs. Weasley would know that it had been a gift since Hermione never bought jewelry for herself, and she couldn't picture Mrs. Weasley being very accepting of Hermione's feelings for Draco. Hermione hated hiding the necklace, it was her one constant reminder of him, she wore it everywhere, but hiding it was better than dealing with a raging Mrs. Weasley, so she lived with it.

"Everything alright dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley concernedly

"Oh, yes I'm fine Mrs. Weasley, I'm just missing Hogwarts I suppose," answered Hermione, quickly removing her hand from the pendant, even though Mrs. Weasley couldn't see the dragon beneath her shirt.

"Ah," smiled Mrs. Weasley, "well you'll be back there in a week; I can't believe that this will be you, Harry, and Ron's last year! It's such a bittersweet time."

"Yes," Hermione had been thinking about that a lot over the summer. What would happen to her and Draco after this year was over? Would they stay together once they were done with school? She hoped so since they were still together despite not seeing each other all summer. But the thoughts still brought up several interesting questions. She quickly shooed the thoughts from her mind, those were things she didn't need to think about for months yet, and she would be sure to talk them over with Draco once the time was right. "Well Mrs. Weasley," began Hermione once she noticed that Mrs. Weasley was eyeing her sweetly. "I think I will go take a quick nap, wake me if you need me."

"Alright dear, have a nice nap," smiled Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione made her way up to Ginny's room, where she was staying, and lay on her bed though she was not at all tired. She looked out the window to where her friends were playing quidditch, and stared vacantly at them until she noticed a form growing larger on the horizon.

It was an owl, and it seemed to be flying straight towards her. Harry, Ron and Ginny stopped their brooms in midair as they watched the owl fly past, and Hermione's heart leapt, and began beating faster as Aries flew closer. She could not wait to read what Draco had written her, and it was hard to contain herself from tearing the letter off of Aries' leg once he landed.

"Hello Aries," she cooed excitedly at the owl. Just like everything having to do with the Malfoys, Aries had the look of strength, power, pride, and money, and like Draco, beneath the cold and rough exterior; Aries was the sweetest and most loveable owl you've ever met. He nipped Hermione affectionately as she untied the note, and flew to her shoulder as she read it.

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Ron had stopped in midair when he saw Aries, allowing the ball he had been flying towards to fall, forgotten, to the ground. He eyed the bird with an intense look of disgust because he knew exactly who that owl belonged to. Ron had long gotten over the fact that Draco had saved Hermione's life last year, and he now hated Draco more than ever. After all, in Ron's opinion, Hermione never would have been in trouble if it hadn't been for the stupid, arrogant, Slytherin sod in the first place. Ron was determined to show Hermione that Draco was evil and in the process, win her back. But he couldn't do that if the stupid snake was being considerate and sending her love notes!

Suddenly Ron zoomed to the ground, no longer in the mood to practice quidditch. Ginny and Harry flew after him, casting each other worried looks. They felt bad that he was still so crazy over Hermione, but they were never going to help him try to pull Hermione away from Draco, they knew not to cross Hermione when her mind was set on something. And now, her mind was set on Draco. Reluctantly, they followed Ron inside, and found him moping in the kitchen.

"Ron, are you alright?" questioned Mrs. Weasley.

"hmm," grunted Ron.

Mrs. Weasley smiled slyly, she knew Ron had a crush on Hermione so she decided to play matchmaker for a moment, "You know, Hermione definitely seemed to be daydreaming about someone when she came in, why don't you go talk to her?"

If Mrs. Weasley thought this would cheer Ron up, she was sorely mistaken. Ron slammed his fists on the table and stormed out of the kitchen, up to his room. Mrs. Weasley watched in shock as Harry and Ginny cast each other pained looks, they weren't sure if they should try to talk to him or not, and neither were about to tell Mrs. Weasley who Hermione had really been daydreaming about. "Sorry mum," apologized Ginny piteously before rushing after Ron with Harry at her heels.

Hermione didn't even look up from the letter she was writing when she heard Ginny enter the room, "hey, was that Ron storming up the stairs a minute ago?"

"Yup," Ginny sighed, "He was pissed because he saw Malfoy's owl, then mum tried to cheer him up by telling him that you were daydreaming about someone. I think she thought you were daydreaming about Ron, but it really pissed him off you know."

At this, Hermione finally stopped writing, "I just don't know what to do Ginny. I feel like every time I start to relax with you guys he takes it as a sign that I'm flirting with him! I don't want to hurt him, but he needs to leave me alone. I love Draco, and nothings going to change that."

"I know Hermione, I know, I just don't know how to get through to Ron. I think he had it in his head that you and Draco would break up over the summer or something, so seeing the owl didn't cheer him up any," explained Ginny.

"I just hope we get through this year without killing each other." Hermione sighed as she finished her letter and tied it to Aries leg, "bring this to Draco, and keep making sure he's not off flirting with any other girls!" she ordered the owl jokingly.

Aries looked at her and hooted reassuringly before flying out the window. Hermione sighed as she watched the shrinking form of the owl fly away. In just a few more days she would be back in Draco's arms, and she could not wait a minute longer.

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On August 31, The Weasley's, along with Harry and Hermione traveled to Diagon Alley through the floo network to purchase their school supplies. They were all in need of new robes, books for their N.E.W.T. level classes, and other such school supplies. They went first into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to purchase new robes. Once they were all fitted and paid for, they decided to head over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor before finishing their shopping.

They were all talking jovially and eating their sundaes, which were piled high with hot fudge, whipped cream, and all sorts of delicious toppings, until someone caught Hermione's eye. She could only see the back of the girls head, but there was still no mistaking who it was. Pansy Parkinson, the person Hermione hated most in Hogwarts, yes even more than professor Snape, was sitting at a nearby table snogging some boy who Hermione could not see.

For a split second Hermione's heart leapt into her throat as she imagined the boy to be Draco, after all it wouldn't have been the first time she had seen Draco and Pansy kissing. However, she was able to relax once more when the couple broke apart, and Hermione saw that the boy was in fact Blaise Zambini, another Slytherin 7th year.

Hermione let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding, and returned her attention to her friends. "Hermione you alright?" questioned Ginny.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," assured Hermione distractedly.

Ginny looked over to where Hermione had been staring, and saw that the two Slytherins were again attached to each other at the lips. Ginny let out a noise of disgust at the sight, then went on talking to her friends normally.

When the group was in Flourish and Blotts searching for the required reading materials, Ginny approached Hermione. "You thought that Zambini was Malfoy didn't you?"

Hermione nearly dropped the book she was holding, and color rushed to her cheeks, "for a moment maybe."

Ginny raised her eyebrows and viewed Hermione knowingly.

"Okay, yes I thought he was Draco, I know I'm probably just paranoid, but I can't help it. I hate that girl and I wouldn't put anything past her. Then again, maybe if she's with Zambini, she'll leave Draco alone."

Ginny smiled, "I don't think you have anything to worry about Hermione," Ginny paused, viewing Hermione as she continued to browse through the books, "you can't wait to see him tomorrow can you?"

Hermione blushed, "is it that obvious? I'm dying to see him Ginny! I don't know how I survived the entire summer without him!"

Ginny giggled, which caused Hermione to giggle as well, "just one more day Hermione, I think you'll survive."

Once the group had bought everything they needed (and in the case of Harry and Ron, some things they didn't), they returned to the Burrow for the last night of summer vacation. They had an enjoyable evening; complete with a feast of Mrs. Weasley's wonderful cooking. Before they knew it, it was time for bed, for tomorrow they would be traveling back to Hogwarts. Back to their last year of magical learning, hanging out with their friends, dealing with teachers, breaking rules, having adventures. If only they knew what adventures were in store for them in the coming months, if they only knew . . . . . .

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I hope you all liked this chapter, please send me a review and let me know! And just in case you're wondering, next chapter Hermione and Draco will be together again. Thanks in advance for the reviews everyone! 


	3. Chapter 3: Journey to Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **As everyone knows, I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** Thank you very much to all my wonderful reviewers. You guys are awesome! It makes me so happy to hear how much you guys are enjoying my story and my writing!!

_Cargarbinx, Ginny-W13, Kara Black, FalconWing, fieryred20, __ilovetom88, JessicaDracoMalfoy, __shadow-n-the-dark, aurora black, Jaezi, Macking, __melovedraco, Jessie, __zuvalupa _– Thank you so much for the review!  
_Echo Levano_ – Thanks! I'm glad you liked the first story, and are liking this one as well. I am trying to make this story different from the first one, but like the first one I hope that it's not too obvious what's going to happen in the end, so we'll see how I do.  
_Phoebe Telumetar_ – lol interesting mixture of emotions, but I'm sure you have succeeded in confusing Ron with your sympathetic kick. J Thanks for the review!  
_sad-soulz_ – interesting observation how people often forget to write magic into the fics. I'll try to remember that! Thanks!  
_HarryPotterFan670 _– Thank you so much! Draco and Hermione will be back together in this chapter, but I can guarantee that they will have a ton of problems along the way!  
_Siria_ – lol kill Ron? Hmmmm . . . it is very possible that someone will die, who it will be I'm not saying.  
_Kyra Malfoy_ – lol interesting idea, if Ron manages to break them up I'll see what I can do about setting you up with Draco, granted you may have to help him mend a broken heart if that were to happen. ;o)  
_Kacie _– thanks for the correction, I don't know why I kept putting an 'm' in Zabini (silly me!) Thanks for the review!  
_jesska-14_ – Very interesting idea, that's not quite what I have planned, but that's a great idea to keep in mind for future fics! Thanks!  
_BleedingHeart14_ – trust me, I do feel special, lol. Ron may go psycho again, but I don't think he'll go 'sico killer dude' so you won't have to worry about that. Thanks!  
_elektra30 _– Thanks, and I will do my best to keep both Hermione and Draco in character as much as possible when they meet (and throughout the entire story as well).  
_Cold-eyes-for-you_ – Yay! You caught up! Thank you so much for your reviews, thay all made me happy. I hope you like this fic as much as the last one! Thanks!

Also, there were a lot of comments about Ron, some people want me to kill him, some don't want me to torture him anymore, so obviously I can't please everyone. So let me just say a bit about him. I like Ron in the HP books, however he is my least favorite of the trio. I'm not sure why I've made him so annoying, I guess just to add conflict. I just think he's temperamental, stubborn and immature so that's how I've tried to portray him.

And one more thing before the chapter begins, for those who are wondering why the updates are taking longer, there are a few reasons. 1) I'm trying to make this fic more complex than the last one. 2) I am getting lots of ideas for the middle and end of the fic, but not for the beginning. So I have been writing what's going to happen later, but getting there I'm suffering from a bit of writers block. 3) I have a cold, so I'm practically asleep at the computer right now.

Anyway, now that everyone is asleep at their keyboards from all my talking, on with chapter 3!

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**Chapter 3: Journey to Hogwarts**

They had 10 minutes until the scarlet Hogwarts Express would leave the station on its journey to Hogwarts. The four Gryffindors stood on the platform, their things were already loaded onto the train, and they were saying goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and saying hello to their school friends. Hermione was so excited, her fellow Gryffindors were all coming up to her and congratulating her for being named Head Girl. Her badge was pinned proudly on her robes, on the opposite side of the scarlet and gold Gryffindor crest. She beamed at everyone, thrilled to finally be returning to Hogwarts, her true home.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had apparated away, and it was nearly time to board the train. Hermione was scanning the platform entrance desperately searching for Draco, for she hadn't seen him yet. She was beginning to think that perhaps her had arranged a different way to get to school without telling her. She was a bit annoyed when Ginny, who was looking in the opposite direction, tugged on her robes and interrupted her search, "umm, Hermione . . ."

"What?" Hermione asked irritably, but then she heard another voice, a voice she had been dying to hear since the last time she had set foot on this platform going home for the summer.

"I must say, who is this beautiful creature I see before me?" the voice asked smoothly, addressing Hermione of course.

Hermione's heart stopped and she whipped around, beaming brighter than the sun, "Draco!" she ran to him and leapt into his arms, giving him a huge kiss on the lips as he held her.

He lifted her seemingly effortlessly, thrilled to be holding her in his arms once more, and loving the feeling of her lips pressed up against his own again. Draco broke the kiss, and then set Hermione on the floor once more, "miss me did you?" Draco smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear with his hand.

"Oh, I suppose I did a little, not very much though," Hermione smiled, unable to keep a straight face, for they both knew that she was lying through her teeth.

Just then, the whistle sounded, warning those still on the platform that it was time to board. "Shall we go to the Heads compartment?" offered Draco.

"We get our own compartment?" asked Hermione, truly happy at the idea.

"Naturally, the Heads get the best of everything," smiled Draco. He then swept Hermione off her feet (literally) and carried her onto the train to the compartment reserved for the Head Boy and Girl.

- - - - - - - - - -  
Hermione's friends watched the entire scene with different thoughts running through their mind. Ginny, who had been the first to spot Draco, viewed the whole thing with a smile, thinking how incredibly romantic it was. She knew how much Hermione had missed Draco over the summer, and she was thrilled to finally see her friend truly happy, glowing even, finally being back together with the man she loved.

Harry had a mixed reaction. He knew Hermione loved Draco, and that she had been missing him, and he did view Draco differently ever since he had saved Hermione's life last year. He couldn't bring himself to completely hate someone who saved one of his best friends. But still, Draco was a Slytherin, Harry's arch rival in Hogwarts, and Harry still didn't trust him. Though he never let Hermione know that, he didn't want to be in the way of Hermione's wrath.

Ron however, was not as understanding as Harry. He viewed the scene with a look over revulsion that even surpassed what he looked like second year when he was burping up slugs (which happened to be an incident caused by Draco himself). He looked ready to kill Malfoy, but amazingly enough he didn't even utter a sound. He frowned with anger and jealousy when Draco lifted Hermione and carried her onto the train, and glared in the direction Draco had carried Hermione as Harry led him on to the train as well. This was not the way he had planned on beginning the year.

Once inside the train, Draco was forced to put Hermione down due to the cramped hallway, and the fact that students were still milling around searching for their friends, and for empty compartments. "Our compartment is up front, come on," Draco took Hermione's hand, and led her to the very front, where a lavishly decorated compartment was set up for them. Once they were inside, and the door was closed, they began kissing again. Once they were out of breath, and both gasping for air, they settled for holding each other instead. Hermione leaned her head on Draco's shoulder, "I missed you so much!" she cried, hugging him tighter, as if she were afraid he would disappear if she let go.

"I missed you too, but now we'll be together all the time, with nothing to worry about except teachers, classes, and homework."

"Yeah," smiled Hermione, "It's going to be a wonderful year."

- - - - - - - - -

If only they knew how wrong they were.

- - - - - - - - -

Just as they began kissing again, the door to their compartment slid open and the voice of the conductor grunted to get their attention. They pulled apart, Hermione blushing furiously, and flustered, kept her head towards the ground to hide her embarrassment. Draco, meanwhile, was as calm and collected as ever, he was amused at Hermione's embarrassment, but he didn't say anything about it, "yes?" he asked the conductor.

"Not to interrupt, er . . anything," he raised his eyebrows with interest, as Draco pulled Hermione closer to him, and she hid her face in his robes, "but I believe it's time you addressed the prefects to explain to them their duties for the upcoming year."

"Of course, we'll do that right now, thank you," responded Draco.

Once the conductor exited and closed the door behind him, Hermione burst into a fit of giggles, "oh Merlin! That was so embarrassing!!" she cried, her face still bright red, "how do you stay so calm like that all the time?"

"It's a gift," sighed Draco with mock haughtiness (well maybe not all of the haughtiness was mocking), "would you like to call the prefects or shall I?"

"You better do it Mr. Gifted," retorted Hermione sarcastically, kissing him once more before he turned around.

Draco lifted a magical microphone and tapped it with his wand to turn it on, "Attention please," he called, suddenly his voice was deeper and more authoritative than it was whenever he spoke to Hermione, "will all house prefects please report to the Heads compartment at the front of the train for a brief informational meeting? Thank you." He then tapped the microphone again to turn it off.

"You sound so different when you're giving orders, you know that?" questioned Hermione.

Draco smiled self-assuredly, but didn't comment, he instead moved to the window, and stood in wait for the prefects to arrive. Within five minutes everyone was present and accounted for, and the meeting began. Each of the prefects smiled at Hermione, but looked upon Draco with fear; it seems he had not lost the intimidating image he had built up for himself the past six years among the rest of the school. Hermione did her best to suppress a chuckle that the man she loved more than anyone inspired so much fear in the hearts and minds of the rest of the school, 'that's my dragon,' she thought happily.

"Well" Draco began, addressing the group, "welcome to a new school year, and congratulations on being chosen as prefects for your given houses. As you already know, I am Draco Malfoy, and I am Head Boy this year, the Head Girl," he motioned to Hermione, "is Hermione Granger."

The meeting was over quickly, Draco did most of the talking, as he seemed to enjoy being in charge and ordering other people around. Once the prefects were out patrolling the train, and the food trolley had come by, Draco and Hermione were finally alone in their compartment once more. Draco sat with his back against the wall, with Hermione lying against his chest. She closed her eyes and just listened to his heart beat, feeling the rise and fall of his chest against her head. He stroked her brown hair softly, smiling at her beautiful form lying against him. After sitting like that for a few moments and after Hermione had recovered from the embarrassment of being interrupted, she looked up at Draco and slowly moved her lips up to him. In no time they were snogging, each completely oblivious to everything except each other.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ron was growing restless sitting in a compartment in the middle of the train, "where is she? That prefects meeting should have ended hours ago!" he whined.

"Hmm, let's see Ron, my guess would that she's in the Heads compartment with Malfoy, _catching up_ as one might say."

"Ugh! Ginny!" cried Ron, covering his face with his hands, "a mental picture of Malfoy snogging Hermione is not what I needed. It was bad enough seeing them kissing on the platform!" He huffed and turned toward the window for a moment. "That's it I'm going to find her, and bring her back here where she belongs, with her friends!"

"Ron you will not!" shouted Ginny, racing after Ron.

"Ron, why don't you leave Hermione and Malfoy alone?" suggested Harry, not at all attempting to stop Ron's progress through the corridor. He may not have a crush on Hermione like Ron did, but he didn't particularly enjoy the mental picture Ginny's comment had put in his head either.

"No!" shouted Ron, as he sped up.

Ginny raced after him, and Harry grudgingly followed, but due to the cramped conditions of the train, they were unable to stop him. When Ron reached the compartment, he threw open the door with a loud bang, causing Draco and Hermione to pull apart with a start. Hermione yelped, and fell onto the floor, while Draco hit his head hard against the wall.

"Shit Weasley!" Draco yelled, as he held his hands to his throbbing head, he was furious at being interrupted so rudely by a Weasley when he had been enjoying himself so much.

"We're so sorry," panted Ginny, "we were trying to stop him, but we couldn't catch up."

Hermione stood up, glaring furiously at Ron, "Ronald Weasley!" when she shouted she sounded so much like Mrs. Weasley, that it caused Ron to cower in fear, "what on Earth did you think you were doing barging in here like that?"

Ron turned his gaze to the floor, knowing that he had no good reason for what he did, "I, um . . .well, I just."

"You just what? Thought you would terrify me half to death, and at the same time interrupt something that until a few seconds ago was incredibly enjoyable?"

Ron's face grew red with anger and embarrassment, when he finally spoke, he was mumbling and his head was to the ground, "I just didn't like the idea of you being here with _him_ all day," he spat, gesturing toward Draco. "You haven't even come to see us once since we got on the train."

Draco stood angrily when Ron spoke, and moved towards him, but Hermione moved next to Draco first. She looped her arms around Draco's waist, he stopped advancing on Ron, and snaked his arms around her, yet he continued to glare daggers into Ron's face, as if challenging him to say one word. When Hermione spoke the sadness in her tone was unmistakable. "Ron," she breathed, trying not to sound angry, "for one, I just spent an entire week with you guys, so I'm sure you can live without me for a train ride. Two, I haven't seen Draco all summer and I've missed him terribly. Three, Draco and I are dating, if you can't cope with that fact, then I'm sorry, but it won't change anything. Now, please, just leave us alone."

Ron stood in shock at Hermione's words, he watched as Hermione turned her back towards him, and move over to the window. He looked pitifully at Draco, who was still eyeing him with intense hatred, and then allowed Harry and Ginny to lead him back to their compartment.

"Sorry again," Ginny mumbled before closing the door behind them.

Draco turned, ready to begin a rant about Weasley, but found he didn't have the heart when he saw Hermione. A single tear rolled slowly down her cheek, and he wiped it away for her. "I just don't know what to do about him," she began. "It was horrible all week at his house; I had to keep finding places to hide to get away from him. He just won't accept the fact that I love you. I'd hate to lose him as a friend, but I can't keep going like this, not if this is how he's going to be every single day."

Draco did all he could to choke back the string of insults he had lined up in his mind about Weasley, and he couldn't think of anything supportive to say. He would never tell her to stop being friends with anyone she was friends with, but at the same time, he hated her friends.

She looked into his eyes, as if she could read his mind, "and I know that you hate Ron, and Harry too, so thank you for never asking me to choose between you and them, because I wouldn't know what to do. But now with the way Ron's acting I'm still lost."

Draco sat beside her and pulled her into a hug. Into her ear he whispered, "it's okay, just know that I will always be there for you. And I will never ask you to leave your friends for me." She smiled at him, "but I'm not volunteering to hang out in Hogsmeade with them either."

Hermione sighed with a smile on her face. "I would never ask you to." She chuckled a bit before moving away, gazing into his deep beautiful silver eyes and kissing him.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed Draco and Hermione's reunion! I will try my best to get the next chapter up faster, but in the meantime please review cause they make me so happy! 


	4. Chapter 4: The Final Year Begins

**Disclaimer: **As everyone knows, I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, you all are the best! I'm sorry I don't have time to post comments to each of you like I usually do, but I figured you'd rather have the next chapter than individual comments.  
_Hands out chocolate frogs to everyone for being so patient and understanding._

Please accept my apology for the delay in updating. But there were a bunch of people who I think were a bit disappointed with the last chapter, so I wanted to do my best to make sure that didn't happen again. Also I am still suffering from writers block, I know where I want to go with the story, but I can't figure out how to get there if you know what I mean.

But, just so you all do not think that I haven't been writing, I am happy to tell you that I have been writing up a storm, it's just that what I've been writing is all gonna happen later towards the middle and end. But it's a good thing that I've written it, cause I got some ideas that I think are going to make my story better, the only problem is they made it necessary for me to basically rewrite this and the next chapter.

So basically, the updates will probably be slow like this for a while, but towards the end they should get faster. Also I can guarantee you that it is going to get much more exciting, now it is just slow cause we're still in the beginning. I am almost certain that this fic is going to be even longer (maybe much longer) and the last one. So please be patient, I promise that I will never stop in the middle of this or any other fic no matter how long it takes me to write it!

Thank you all again, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Final Year Begins**

At the start of term feast, once the new first years had been sorted, professor Dumbledore stood to address the school. "Welcome! Welcome both old and new, I have a few words to say, but they can wait until you have all been fed and watered. Enjoy!" And with that the feast appeared. There were a few stunned gasps amongst the new students, but most immediately began digging in.

After the last of the deserts had disappeared into the students stomachs, and the golden plates were once again sparkling clean, professor Dumbledore stood again and an immediate hush fell over the room. "Well, now that the food has been eaten, I believe it is time for some start of term notices," he paused and viewed the attentive students. "New students please note, and returning students please be reminded, that the forest is out of bounds, there is a list of forbidden objects posted outside Mr. Filch's office, and please, no wandering the corridors at night. First years, please follow your house prefects to your dormitories, and I would like to have a word with the Head Boy and Girl. Pleasant dreams!"

Following Dumbledore's speech, Hermione bid Harry and Ginny goodnight, while barely acknowledging Ron, then walked to the professors table where professor Dumbledore and Draco were waiting. "Good evening Miss Granger," welcomed professor Dumbledore, "now, I am just going to show you and Mr. Malfoy to your dormitory."

Hermione nodded, and then she and Draco followed professor Dumbledore with their hands intertwined. The Heads dormitory turned out to be in the same corridor as the Gryffindor common room, which didn't thrill Draco all that much. The portrait was grand in size, and enclosed in an ornate gold frame. The portrait was of the Hogwarts founders, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin.

"Ah," said Rowena, these two must be the new Head Boy and Girl.

"Indeed," answered professor Dumbledore, "the password is _credo dans fatum_, goodnight to you both!"

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Hermione said as she nodded her head to the founders. With the exception of one, each founder smiled and nodded back to her in greeting. Salazar scowled back at her with a look of disgust, he was well aware that she was the type of student he would never have accepted into the school, and he resented the fact that she was the head girl. He however, was very pleased with the choice of head boy. As he examined Draco he smiled proudly, Draco was exactly the type of wizard Salazar wanted in Hogwarts.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," Godric replied to Hermione's greeting, "so you two must be Hermione and Draco."

"Yes sir," answered Hermione with a smile. Draco meanwhile was focused on Salazar, who appeared to be silently sizing the two of them up.

"Nice to meet you Hermione and you as well Draco" smiled Helga, "and now if you will say the password, we can allow you into your dormitory."

The heads dormitory was spectacular. The common room was a tiny bit smaller than the house common rooms, yet its lack of dozens of students made it seem much bigger. The common room was a mixture of Gryffindor and Slytherin colors. It was vaguely divided into two areas, a study area, which contained two tables with chairs, and the walls contained bookshelves filled with all sorts of books.

The other area was more of a lounge, it was startlingly reminiscent of the private room the two had shared the year before to brew their potion. This thought seemed to cross their minds at the same time, and they both smiled mischievously at one another as memories of what went on in that room returned to their heads. The lounge area was complete with a large fireplace, two squashy armchairs on either side, and a large comfy couch in the middle. Straight ahead was a large window overlooking the grounds; they had a spectacular view of the lake, the forest, and even part of the quidditch pitch. On either side of the room was a door, one with the title Head Girl above it, and the other with Head Boy. Draco and Hermione went their separate ways to explore their room and unpack their belongings.

Hermione's room was covered in Gryffindor scarlet and gold. It felt incredibly warm and inviting. She had her own bathroom, which was covered with white marble and gold accents. The bath was huge and had several taps, much like the bath in the prefects' bathroom. Her bed was gigantic, and incredibly comfortable. With a sigh of happiness, she proceeded to unpack her things from her trunk.

Draco's room, was set up identically to Hermione's, but still looked entirely different. It was decorated with Slytherin green, silver, and black. Despite being quite comfortable, it was a very dark and mysterious room, much like its occupant. Draco's bathroom was decorated with black marble and silver accents. He liked his room very much, though it made have felt cold and intimidating to most, to him it felt familiar and comfortable.

Draco was finished unpacking first, so he changed into his green pajama pants and a black shirt, and then went over to visit Hermione. He heard her bustling about in the bathroom, so he took a little tour. He was very amused by the color scheme and atmosphere of the room, thinking to himself, 'I just had to choose a Gryffindor.' He decided to have a little fun with Hermione, so he took off his shirt, and hopped into the middle of her bed, lounging with a smug look on his face. After a minute, Hermione emerged from the bathroom in blue plaid pajama pants, a white tank top, and her dragon pendant.

She didn't notice Draco in her bed until he spoke, "Merlin you take a long time in there!"

Hermione squeaked in surprise, and whipped around staring at Draco, "Draco! You scared the shit out of me!"

Draco laughed, looking as relaxed as ever, "I know that's why I did it."

Once Hermione recovered from the shock, she put her hands on her hips, and raised her eyebrows, and tried her best not to stare at Draco's perfectly toned abs, "and just what do you think you are doing lying in _my_ bed?"

"Oh, nothing really, just seeing if it's as comfortable as mine."

Hermione rolled her eyes, moved over to the bed, grabbed Draco's arm and tried to pull him off, "Draco Malfoy get off my bed!"

Draco allowed her to pull for a moment, and then suddenly he pulled back, causing Hermione to land next to him on the bed.

Hermione laughed with frustration, "Draco!"

Draco put on his best look of innocence, "yes?"

"Don't you play innocent with me! I know what you're thinking!"

"Really, so what pray tell am I thinking?"

"You think that just because we share a dormitory we're going to be sleeping together, but I'm telling you right now, that's not going to happen."

"I'm not the one who said anything about sleeping together, that was all you Miss Granger," he looked into her eyes, "though I know the temptation must be impossible for you to resist."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "you arrogant, little, . . . "

But Hermione never got to finish her sentence, because Draco leaned in and kissed her, it was the only way he had found of effectively silencing her.

Once this kiss was broken, Hermione looked into his warm gray eyes, "you can't stay in here all night you know," she said, speaking in barely above a whisper.

"Would you really make me leave?"

This time Hermione made the move; she leaned in and passionately kissed him on the lips. She then leaned back giving them just enough room to look into each others eyes, "no."

Hermione closed her eyes, and was about to lean in to continue kissing Draco, when Draco suddenly sprang off the bed. "Well, goodnight then!" he said happily, grabbing his shirt, and throwing it on over his head.

"Wha?" asked Hermione, in a daze watching him cross the room.

Draco leaned in and held her cheek with his hand. "I just wanted to hear that you didn't want me to leave. But you were right, we can't sleep together tonight, we have class in the morning, the Head Boy and Girl cannot be tired for the first day of classes now can we? Night!" With that he gave her a quick kiss and made his way to the door.

Hermione sat with her mouth hanging open in disbelief as he left; she could not believe that he got her to admit that she didn't want him to leave. She threw herself back on the bed and let out a frustrated cry, then shouted, "Draco Malfoy you're impossible!" unable to hide the laughter in her voice.

She looked up as he returned to the doorway, "I know, that's why you love me," he closed the door just in time, because Hermione threw a pillow at him. From behind the door he shouted, "I love you too Hermione!" Then he chuckled as he made his way to his room, feeling more at home than he had throughout the entire summer at the manor.

Hermione couldn't help but smile everything Draco said or did seemed to make her heart race. And while she really wasn't going to sleep with him per se, she wouldn't have minded a little company while she was sleeping. Still she smiled at the fact that he obviously was not in a rush to do anything, and as she drifted off to sleep she couldn't help but think to herself, 'what did I do to deserve a guy like him?'

- - - - - - - - - -

The next morning Harry awoke very suddenly, feeling his scar burning slightly. He rubbed it with annoyance, wondering why it was suddenly burning again. He hoped it would just go away, because he still didn't want to bring it up with his friends. But if it kept happening he supposed he would have to. Looking at the clock and seeing that it was five minutes to 7, he gave up any hope of getting back to sleep, and instead got up to prepare for the first day of classes.

Hermione, meanwhile, awoke to the sun shining through an opening in her curtains. It was only 7, so she had a lot of time to get ready, but she felt awake none the less. She took a shower, and dressed with her school uniform and robes, humming merrily to herself and wondering what classes she would be having that day. She also couldn't help but wonder how many classes she would have with Draco, last year they had been in nearly every single class together, and she hoped it would be the same this year.

She was not surprised to find that Draco was still asleep when she entered the common room ready to go. She supposed that he hadn't gotten very many full nights rests while he was at home. She hated the idea of waking him from his peaceful slumber, but she was not about to let him miss the first day of classes either. She silently slipped into his very dark room, and opened the curtains so that the sun was shining in his face. She smiled as she watched him scrunch up his face and turn around so the back of his head was too the window.

She rolled her eyes, and climbed onto the bed with him. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek and whispered "Wake up sleepy head" into his ear. He groaned with annoyance and refused to open his eyes. Hermione giggled and remembering what he had done the night before, she thought 'two can play at that game'. She gave him an Eskimo kiss with her nose, then planted little kisses on his nose, cheeks, and forehead before ending with a kiss on his lips. She lingered there long enough for him to respond and kiss back. Once he did, she slowly stood up, moving just enough so that he followed her so their lips remained together. Once she had him in a sitting position and he was finally getting into the kiss, she leapt off the bed and said in a sing-song voice, "meet you in the common room when you're ready!"

Draco who was now fully awake, and staring stupidly after Hermione trying to process what just happened fell back into his bed and shouted "you're evil!" only to hear Hermione respond with a laugh. He took a deep breath, and then got up showered and dressed for class.

By quarter after 8, the two Heads were arriving at the Great Hall, before they went in, Draco gave Hermione a quick kiss on the forehead, and then they made their way to their respective house tables. Once they had sat down and were enjoying their meals with their housemates, their Heads of House came by to pass out the class schedules. Hermione was happy to see that she would have Arithmancy with Draco, but besides that the only other classes they had together were Potions and Transifuration. At first she was disappointed, but then she figured it would give her more time with Harry and Ron, which was a good thing.

Once the bell sounded, Hermione scurried off to Arithmancy, while Harry and Ron trudged up to Divination. She walked into class with Draco, and naturally the two sat next to each other. "Good morning class!" greeted professor Vector. "It is lovely to see you all so bright and early this morning, and now, to see what you have retained over the summer, as this is the most important year in your magical education careers, I shall administer a quiz." Most of the class groaned, but Hermione perked up ready to prove that she hadn't forgotten anything over the summer. Professor Vector continued, "these will not count towards your grade; they will however indicate how much work we will have to do over the course of this year to prepare for your N.E.W.T.s. Everyone ready? You may leave once you have finished the quiz. And begin!" With a wave of her wand, tests appeared in front of everyone, and the students grudgingly began working.

Naturally, Hermione was the first to complete her test, but she knew Draco wouldn't be too much longer, so she waited for him outside the classroom. Just as she expected, within five minutes, Draco joined her. Together they wandered the halls, not knowing what to do before their next classes since they had an hour to wait. They decided to take advantage of the nice weather and take a walk outside.

They were happily enjoying the sunshine talking about each others summers when they heard some grunting noises coming from behind Hagrid's hut. Hermione led Draco, who wasn't too keen on going anywhere near Hagrid, around the back of the hut to investigate, and found Hagrid digging in the garden.

"Hello Hagrid!" called Hermione, "what are you doing?"

Hagrid turned to see who it was, wiping some sweat off hi face as he did "Hello 'ermione!" he greeted jovially, "nice ter see you!" He then turned to Draco and suddenly grew much colder, "Malfoy," he said simply, nodding his head.

Draco, matching merely nodded, matching Hagrid's cold tone with his cold expression.

"'ave a nice summer did you?" Hagrid asked turning his attention back to Hermione, "I s'pose I won't be seeing too much of you this year, what with all yer 'ead Girl duties and all?"

"Well, I will be busy, but I'm sure I'll be able to come down to visit every now and then."

"Right then," Hagrid looked suspiciously at Draco, "well I bes be getting back ter work," he said motioning to his shovel, "it was nice seein you again 'ermione!"

"Bye!" waved Hermione before leading Draco back in the direction of the castle. Once Hagrid was out of hearing range Hermione said, "Remind me not to bring you around next time I visit Hagrid."

Draco rolled his eyes, "I didn't ask to join you in your little visit with him," in his head he was cursing and calling Hargid a 'stupid bloody oaf', but he would never verbalize those thoughts in front of Hermione. "I still can't believe Dumbledore made _him_ a professor, honestly."

"Hagrid knows more about magical creatures than anyone I know! He's perfect for the job!" argued Hermione, immediately coming to Hagrid's defense.

"Yeah, the creatures that can kill you, you have to admit Hermione, he only likes creatures with the potential to kill," reasoned Draco.

"Hmph, you're just still touchy about the Buckbeak incident third year," argued Hermione.

Suddenly Draco seemed to grow very sour and distant, they heard the bell ring, and Draco spoke without looking at Hermione, "see you after class," then plowed ahead to charms while Hermione shuffled to herbology.

Hermione kind of felt guilty for mentioning a subject that was obviously touchy to Draco, but she brushed it off with the thought, 'well it's his own bloody fault for not listening'. She then entered class, and forgot about it for the rest of the day.

By the end of the day, the seventh years felt as though they had been at school an entire week rather than just one day. Almost all the teachers had assigned review homework to assure that their students were up to date in preparation for their N.E.W.T.s. Hermione dropped her things off in the common room before meeting Harry, Ron, and Ginny for dinner, she planned on walking down with Draco, but she could not find him anywhere. She was curious, but decided to ask him about it later.

At dinner Harry and Ron were complaining about all the homework they had received, Hermione merely rolled her eyes and laughed wondering to herself 'how are they going to get their work done without me hounding them to do it this year?' She zoned out of Ron's rant about school and looked over to the Slytherin table. She smiled when she saw Draco, but he was deep in conversation with Blaise Zabini, and didn't notice Hermione staring at him.

"Hermione!" called Ginny to get Hermione's attention.

Harry and Ron looked to see what she had been staring at and turned back with looks of disgust, "Look Hermione," began Harry, "I know you're dating him and everything, but since you live with him now, do you think you could keep the staring to a minimum?"

"I'm sorry guys, it's just I think he got a little mad at me after Arithmancy, and I haven't been able to talk to him since to apologize."

"What happened?" asked Ginny.

Hermione told them about the visit to Hagrid, and how she had brought up the Buckbeak incident. When she was finished, Harry and Ron burst out laughing. "Ha! He deserved that one didn't he?" laughed Ron. "Remember the look on his face when Buckbeak attacked him?"

"Guys, shut up! It's not funny! He could have gotten seriously hurt!" defended Hermione.

"Yeah," agreed Ron in an unnecessarily loud voice, "you didn't seem to mind him being attacked at the time."

Hermione looked at him her eyes narrowed, and then turned to see if Draco had heard. Sure enough, her eyes met a pair of steel gray ones that did not look very pleased. He threw a disgusted smirk at Ron and Harry, and then turned his attention back to Blaise, not seeming to care about the distressed look on Hermione's face.

"Oh," she moaned, "now he's mad at me for sure. Thanks a lot guys!" she spat at Harry and Ron. She threw her fork down on her plate and crossed her arms pouting.

"Hermione calm down, and you shouldn't bring him up around us if you don't want to hear us make fun of him," challenged Ron with obvious annoyance in his voice.

"Fine, I won't" Hermione agreed stuffily. She figured that it was probably best that she avoided discussion of Draco anyway, especially since she really didn't want any relationship (romantic or friendship) hassles this year. She had had her fill of both types last year. She forced herself to put a smile on her face and focused her attention entirely on her friends, and gradual the smile became natural rather than forced. As usual, Harry and Ron began a quidditch discussion, so she and Ginny were left to talk to each other.

Ginny told Hermione about a Ravenclaw boy she had been paired with in charms that day. From the way Ginny was slowly turning pink, Hermione could tell that Ginny was already developing a crush on him. Hermione smiled, and approved of Ginny's taste when Ginny pointed him out to her.

After dinner, Hermione wanted to return to her common room, but Harry and Ron begged her to help them with the potions essay Snape had assigned, so reluctantly, she went to the Gryffindor common room with them. She stayed there until midnight finishing her homework.

Once she finally returned to her common room, she was absolutely exhausted and ready for bed.

"You're back late" spat Salazar when she reached the portrait door.

"Yes, I've been working," answered Hermione, doing her best not to sound rude.

"Well, hurry up with the password, I do not appreciate hanging around all night waiting for the likes of you to finally decide to come in!"

"Fine," snapped Hermione shortly, "credo dans fatum." The portrait door swung open and Hermione entered the dark and empty common room, mumbling about stubborn Slytherins under her breath.

She was not surprised to find that Draco had already gone to bed, although she had wished that she could have apologized for the Buckbeak conversations. She sighed, hoping that he wasn't mad at her. She walked to his doorway, and silently slid the door open. From his doorway, she whispered good night to his sleeping form, and then retreated to her room for the remainder of the night.

* * *

I hope you liked the latest chapter. Please send me a review to let me know what you think! 


	5. Chapter 5: Good News, Bad News

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** Wow, the support from all my wonderful reviewers is amazing! I am so sorry that this update took so long, but thank you for understanding, and for sticking with the story. I promise I will make it as good as I can, even if it is slow going. Having said that, I am totally at a loss for what to do in the next chapter, I'm trying to not make sure that the fic moves at the right speed (not to fast or slow) but it's turning out to be very difficult. But don't worry I am constantly trying to work on it, and I know I'll get to where I want to go eventually.

One more think before I thank everyone. Quite a few people were very concerned over the mini spat about Buckbeak. Do not fret; our lovebirds would never let a tiny thing like that have a major effect on them. However, they do have conflicting personalities, and they both tend to be outspoken and stubborn, which leads to mini spats, so if they have more in the future, don't worry they're bound to make up quickly.

Now, to thank all the awesome people who reviewed chapter 4:

_Sirius-harry-n-remus_ – I'm glad to hear that you like the tension between Draco and Hermione. And you are correct, Voldemort is up to something, but what he's up to, I shall not say . . .   
_Cold-eyes-for-you_ – Thanks! I'm so happy that you are happy with how I write the characters! I also enjoy Hermione and Draco teasing each other, you you're likely to see more of that throughout the story.   
_Alcapacien _– Don't worry, I'd never have them break up over something stupid like that! They'd need something very serious to happen to tear them apart!   
_ydole3343_ – I definitely have the general gist of the story planned. The problem is that there is so much I want to do that I don't know where to start or how to include it all, so though I managed to finish chapter 5, I have no clue what to do for chapter 6! Hopefully I'll find some inspiration soon, cause it's killing me to not have more of this written!   
_jesska-14, __Macking About, JessicaDracoMalfoy, fieryred20, Kara Black, __aurora black, Kacie, BleedingHeart14, ilovetom88, FallenBrokenAngel, Miss Morg Malfoy, zuvalupa_ – Thanks so much for the review! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!   
_shadow-n-the-dark _– LOL glad you managed to catch the frog ;) speaking of not knowing the next chapter . . . ._gulp. _Anyway, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!   
_Hotskittles _– sorry for making you wait so long! I'm glad you like them playing hard to get, I enjoy writing them interacting like that, so there should be more. Thanks for the review!   
_elektra30 _– Thank you! It's surprisingly difficult to write how Hagrid speaks! Originally I had him say more, but I couldn't figure out how to write it! No matter, it wasn't anything important anyway. Hope you enjoy this chapter!   
_Jaezi _– yes, they definitely enjoy toying with each other, but it seems to work well for them.   
_FalconWing _– Draco got that touchy cause it hurt his pride, that's all. Thanks for the review!   
_Jessie_ – I know writers block is horrible! I am totally lost as to what to do in the next chapter! Hopefully I'll figure it out soon. . . . I hope.

Enough waiting! On with chapter 5!!

**

* * *

Chapter 5: Good News, and Bad News**

The next morning Hermione apologized to Draco for talking about Buckbeak. He could not believe she was still worrying about it, since he had forgotten all about it over the night. Still, Hermione was very relieved to know that he wasn't at all mad at her. Over the next three weeks, things went along pretty well. Ron and Hermione even seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement, if Hermione didn't mention Draco; Ron wouldn't giver her grief about dating him.

But it did still pain Ron to see Hermione and Draco holding hands in the corridors. However, that was the most he or anyone else ever saw. Draco and Hermione had agreed to keep any public displays of affection to a minimum, partly for Ron, but mostly because of what Draco's housemates might do if they saw him kissing a muggle-born Gryffindor.

None of the Slytherins were accepting of his relationship with Hermione. And it was only because Draco was a Malfoy and the head boy that they even attempted to ignore it. Although Pansy made it a point to insult his 'mudblood girlfriend' every time she saw either of them, which was pretty much every day. But for the most part, everything was well, and the year was going by rather smoothly.

It was already the end of September, and Hermione woke up very excited. She was excited because the previous night, she and Draco had received owls from Dumbledore notifying them of a meeting that was to take place today where they would discuss a new project he was planning on implementing this year. Dumbledore did not specify what the project was, so Hermione was very eager to find out.

After getting ready for classes, she skipped bright and chipper into the common room where Draco was waiting. "Morning 'Mione" he greeted when she entered.

Hermione stopped, and stared at him, her nose wrinkling with distaste, "'Mione? Since when is my name 'Mione?"

"Since now" Draco answered with a smile, purposefully ignoring her dislike of the nickname.

"Really?" she said with feigned surprise, "Funny, you would think someone would have told me."

Draco raised his eyebrows, "I did, just now."

"Well," said Hermione with her hands on her hips, "I prefer my real name thank you very much."

"Aww, come on, I think 'Mione has a nice ring to is," he argued, flashing a sweet smile.

"All the same, I enjoy the ring of my full name if you don't mind" she answered stiffly.

"Fine," Draco conceded. Then he spoke as if he were addressing a professor, "Good morning _Hermione_" he stressed her name and smirked with amusement as she smiled.

"Much better," she said patting his head.

He jerked away looking at her as if she were crazy. "Alright, I won't call you 'Mione if you don't pet me like I'm some sort of pet puppy."

Hermione laughed at the thought of Draco as a puppy. "Fair enough," she agreed with a smile, "shall we be off to breakfast then?"

Draco stood up from the couch, took her hand and kissed her lightly, "We shall."

- - - - - - - - - -

That same morning, Harry awoke to his scar burning again. His breathing was a bit rushed, this time the burning didn't stop. He put on his glasses, and slipped out of bed to the mirror. Staring at his reflection, he traced his finger along his scar. He then proceeded to get ready, his mind spinning with concerns, wondering what Voldemort could possibly be up to. The burning didn't fade until after he had finished getting ready for the day, so he decided that it was time to tell the others. He already could predict what they would say, but he didn't like hiding things from them.

Harry didn't say anything as he, Ron and Ginny walked down to the Great Hall, but his friends both noticed that he seemed distracted. "Harry, you alright mate?" asked Ron once they had sat down?

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just . . . I'll tell you when Hermione gets here."

Ron and Ginny exchanged confused glances, and then as if on cue, Hermione entered the Great Hall alongside Draco. They whispered something ("See you later") to each other, and then went their separate ways to their house tables. Hermione lost some of her cheerfulness when she noticed the apprehensive looks on her friends' faces. She cast them a confused look as she slowly sat down with them.

"Alright" began Harry before Hermione could say anything. Hermione, Ron and Ginny all leaned in so they could hear Harry's whisper. "I didn't want to bring this up, but my scar was burning this morning. It was pretty bad, and it took a while to go away. I only mention it because it's been happening a few times recently."

"Harry! Why didn't you tell us sooner?" whispered Hermione urgently.

"Because, before it only burned a bit, and it was gone as soon as I realized it was burning at all, but not this time.

"Do you think You-Know-Who is planning something?" asked Ron wide-eyed.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Harry answered glumly, all thoughts of having a normal, worry free year like everyone else quickly faded from his mind. The four looked at each other with varying degrees of worry on their faces.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," muttered Ron after a moment of heavy silence, "and we would have seen something in the Daily Prophet if You-Know-Who had done anything yet."

"True," agreed Harry attempting to sound cheerful.

The four attempted to make conversation, but it was forced, and it was clear that their minds were elsewhere. They quickly got up to leave when the bell rang, almost glad to have classes as a distraction.

Classes did indeed distract Hermione from her concerns about Harry. And as the day went on, her anticipation about her meeting with Dumbledore grew. By the last class, she had completely forgotten about the morning, and was entirely focused on the upcoming meeting, she couldn't wait to see what it was about.

"Well I'll see you later guys," Hermione said as they made their way to the castle from Care of Magical Creatures.

"Wait, where are you going?" asked Harry.

"Oh, Draco and I have a meeting with Dumbledore about some special project he wants us to work on this year," answered Hermione proudly.

"More work? Aren't you busy enough?" questioned Ron skeptically.

"I'm sure it will be fine, Dumbledore seemed really excited about it in his letter. He said he's wanted to start it for years, and he's finally getting around to it. So whatever it is, I'm sure it will be great."

"Alright then," said Harry when they reached the castle, "see you later Hermione."

"Yeah later" agreed Ron.

"Bye!" waved Hermione as the boys went down the corridor leading to the Gryffindor common room and she went down another corridor leading to Dumbledore's office. "Acid pop," she stated clearly when she arrived at the stone gargoyle. Instantly it sprang to life and revealed the ascending spiral staircase, Hermione stepped in and was carried slowly up to the office doors. Once she had stepped off of the stairs, she walked over to the grand doors and knocked the griffin shaped door knocker.

"Come in" called the voice of professor Dumbledore.

Hermione eased open the door and slipped inside. She was greeted by a smiling Dumbledore who was sitting behind his large desk, "Ah welcome Miss Granger, please have a seat while we wait for Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione took a seat in one of the squashy armchairs positioned by Dumbledore's desk. "If I may professor, what is it we're going to be working on?" she asked, unable to restrain her curiosity any longer.

Dumbledore smiled jovially, his blue eyes twinkling merrily, "I will be happy to tell you, as soon as Mr. Malfoy arrives.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond when there was a knock at the door, "I believe that is him now, come in," Dumbledore called.

The door opened and Draco strode into the room, taking a seat in the squashy armchair next to Hermione.

"Excellent!" smiled Dumbledore, "now that you are both here we shall begin." The two students listened attentively, Hermione looking eager, and Draco looking bored as usual. "There is one tradition that Hogwarts has lost, I believe while Phineas Nigellus was headmaster. It is a tradition I have long had the desire to revive, and with everything that has happened in the past several years, I believe that now is the perfect time to start it up again.

"And what would this _lost tradition_ be professor?" asked Draco with a bit of annoyance in his voice, he didn't like being left in the dark about what Dumbledore was talking about.

"Yes of course," smiled Dumbledore, "the tradition I am talking about is the Hogwarts yearbook!"

Hermione squealed with excitement, "really professor?"

"Yes Miss Granger, and I am putting you two in charge. The prefects will make up the staff, and once you have an idea of what you would like to include in it, you may announce it to the rest of the school so they can submit things as well.

"Oooo this is a wonderful idea professor! I can't wait to get started!" Hermione was smiling wildly and practically bouncing in her seat ideas already racing through her head.

Draco on the other hand, was looking at her with slightly raised eyebrows. He didn't see what the big deal was. In his opinion, the yearbook would be something that required much too much work on his part, and it would just end up sitting useless on a shelf collecting dust. Plus, Draco did not like the idea of having yet another job to be responsible for on top of his head boy duties, the quidditch team, and N.E.W.T.s. Yet, not wanting to put a damper of Hermione's excitement, he kept quiet.

Dumbledore happily noted Hermione's excitement, while also recognizing Draco's not unexpected lack of interest. He hoped that Hermione would be able to inspire his interest, "I will expect you to announce the yearbook to the prefects at the next meeting. In the meantime, I suggest you both discuss the sort of things you would like to include in it." Draco made a small noise that was half grunt half laugh; he had a feeling that there would be very little discussion as Hermione already seemed to be planning the entire book out herself. "So, now I leave the project in your capable hands. If you have any questions, or find that you need anything, I would be happy to help."

"Thank you professor!" Hermione smiled as she stood to leave. Draco stood as well, nodding to Dumbledore, and then following Hermione out of the office.

Once they were in the hall, Hermione could no longer container herself, "Draco isn't this exciting! I can't wait to get started. We should brainstorm ideas together so we'll have something to present to the prefects, we need to work fast though, we're meeting them on Thursday night. Oh my! There's so much to do. I really hope it turns out alright, I would hate to make a boring yearbook!"

Draco walked alongside staring slightly upwards and only half listening to her. He wondered how she could go so long without taking a breath, and why she seemed to doubt herself so much. He huffed when she began voicing concerns about it turning out well, because he knew that as long as she was in charge, it would turn out wonderful.

Hermione finally realized that Draco was not sharing her excitement over this project, "Draco, are you even listening to me?"

Draco smiled and continued to stare upwards, "not really," he answered truthfully.

Hermione rolled her eyes, yet continued thinking of ideas silently until they arrived at their common room. Once inside, Hermione immediately took out a quill, some ink and a long roll of parchment and sat down at the desk. On the top of the page she wrote _Yearbook Ideas_, "So what sort of things would you like to see in the yearbook?" she asked Draco, who had been heading towards his room.

"We're working on this now?" he asked with frustration.

"Of course! We have to get our ideas organized before we present them to the prefects.

"Fine, put pictures of everyone in it and it's done," suggested Draco.

"We need more than pictures! It's a yearbook; we need to put memories from our time at Hogwarts in it!"

"What's the point? No one looks at it after school ends anyway so who cares?"

"I care, so if you're not going to help, then fine I'll do it alone," Hermione turned her back to him and began writing down her ideas.

Draco watched her frowning; he hadn't meant to upset her. With a heavy sigh he reluctantly turned away from his room and sat in the seat opposite her. "So what do you have so far?" Hermione looked up at him, smiling sweetly, and then they began to work. By dinnertime they had come up with a long list of ideas, and Draco had found Hermione's excitement to be slightly contagious. Before he knew it, he was contributing some ideas as well.

They walked to the Great Hall together, kissing each other before entering. Hermione was all bubbly and happy, but when her friends asked what she was so happy about she shook her head, "you'll find out son, but for now it's a secret."

"Aww come on Hermione, you can tell us!" begged Ginny.

Hermione smiled "sorry, I can't tell, plus it's fun to see you all so curious."

"No fair," whined Ron jokingly.

"When will we find out?" asked Harry.

"Soon, we have to tell the prefects about it on Thursday, so it shouldn't be long after that."

Meanwhile, over at the Slytherin table, Pansy was yapping away about all the work that the professors were giving them. She was apparently oblivious to the fact that neither Draco nor her boyfriend Blaise was listening. Draco looked at Blaise, astounded that he somehow put up with the endless chatter all day every day. He was surprised to see that Blaise hadn't even touched his dinner, and he looked like he was very deep in thought. "What's the matter with you?" Draco demanded.

"Well, like I've been saying, classes are boring, professors are annoying, and I hardly get to see you anymore . . ." answered Pansy.

"Not you!" spat Draco, "Blaise, what's the matter with you?"

"Huh?" muttered Blaise, jerking out of his thoughts and looking at Draco with a wide-eyed confused expression. "Oh, nothing, just thinking." Blaise shot Pansy a look that almost seemed as if he was frightened, but she didn't seem to notice, she was busy gazing at Draco.

Draco frowned, looking back and forth between the two, something was wrong. But he didn't have time to ponder Blaise's odd behavior because a soft rush of wings distracted his attention. Everyone in the Great Hall looked up to see who the lone owl was for, and to Draco's surprise, it landed right next to his plate. Draco looked curiously at the owl, then up at the other students, many of whom had turned their heads to see where the owl was headed since owls so rarely arrived to deliver mail at night.

"Draco, isn't that your mothers owl?" asked Pansy curiously.

"Yeah," answered Draco as he untied and opened the note.

"Well, what did she say? It must be important is it couldn't wait until morning," reasoned Pansy.

But Draco wasn't listening, slowly a look of shock formed on his face as he read the letter, "shit," he whispered when he had finished reading it a second time.

"Draco what is it?" asked Pansy with exaggerated concern.

Draco looked up at her, but didn't really see her, "nothing," he answered as he quickly got up to leave.

"Draco wait!" called Pansy as he stormed out of the Great Hall, the note clenched tightly in his fist.

Over at the Gryffindor table, their attention drawn by Pansy's shout, Hermione and her friends looked up in time to see Draco leaving. Hermione frowned curiously, "I wonder what happened."

"Don't know, but I'll bet you anything it has to do with whatever was in that note he got," answered Harry.

"Yeah," whispered Hermione distractedly. Throughout the rest of dinner, she had difficulty concentrating on the conversation. She found herself constantly glancing at the doors wondering what was in the note that had caused Draco to leave so suddenly. She was torn between wanting to go to him, and not wanting to upset her friends by leaving. So when they finally were finished, she bid a quick goodbye to them and flew through the halls to her common room.

Once inside, she immediately saw that Draco was not in the common room, so she carefully opened the door to his room, only to find that it too was empty. She was about to turn away when her eyes grazed over Draco's bed and saw a crumpled piece of parchment laying next to a pair of pajama pants. She realized then that Draco was probably in the bathroom; she tiptoed over to the door, and sure enough heard the shower water running. She bit her lip, her conscience telling her to leave and talk to him about it when he came out of the shower, but her curiosity quickly got the better of her. She returned to Draco's bed and slid off her shoes. She climbed onto the bed, and propped herself up against the pillows, then she lifted the note and slowly opened it to read:

_Draco,_

_I am afraid I have some distressing news. I did not want to tell you because I know this is a very stressful year for you, and you have enough to worry about being Head Boy. But I can't in good conscience keep this from you any longer, it seems as though your father has disappeared from St. Mungo's. They have done everything they can to find him, but with no luck. Draco, I do not want to alarm you, but when I visited him, he was in no condition to be able to escape, and that was just two days before he was discovered missing by the healers. There's no way he could have gotten out on his own. Please be careful, look out for yourself and for anything suspicious as well._

_Love,_

_Narcissa_

Hermione gasped. She shut her eyes tight, opened them again, and reread the letter. She didn't want to believe it was true. She wondered just how long ago Lucius had escaped, and if his escape was part of the reason that Harry's scar had been burning recently. She wanted to believe that it was a coincidence, but she knew that she was probably wrong. And if Lucius' escape was the reason why Harry's scar burned, it meant that Lucius was in touch with You-Know-Who. Hermione subconsciously gulped as that thought crossed her mind, the consequences were too frightening for her to think of.

Hermione was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the bathroom door open, nor did she notice Draco emerge from it, a black towel wrapped tightly around his waist. Draco on the other hand, immediately noticed Hermione sitting in his bed. He stopped short, wondering what she was doing in his bed. He walked over, viewing her curiously, wondering what she was thinking so deeply about, until he saw the letter she was holding lightly in her hand. A sudden rage surged through him, he was unable to stop himself. He stormed across the room and tore the letter out of her hand. Hermione screeched and jumped with surprise. She looked at Draco as she attempted to catch her breath, his eyes were the dark color of steel, he was obviously very angry.

Why did you read it?" he demanded furiously.

Hermione nearly fell on the floor in her haste to get off Draco's bed. "Draco, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you!" she apologized quickly.

"Why," Draco repeated firmly, "did you read it!"

Hermione frowned stubbornly and took a deep breath. "Because I was concerned! I saw you leave the Great Hall so fast after you got the owl, and I wanted to know what was wrong. Because I care about you and I don't like seeing you upset!" she shot back. Even though she was concerned about him, she didn't appreciate being yelled at like that just for reading a letter, which she would have expected him to share with her anyway.

"I don't care what the reason is! Nothing gives you the right to come barging into my stuff, it's personal!"

Hermione scowled, and knowing that it would be useless to argue with him while he was in this sort of mood, she huffed, and pushed her way passed him to the door. But before she left, she turned back, "You know, it's really not right for you to jump down my throat when all I wanted was to be there for you." With that, she turned and slammed the door, leaving Draco staring lividly at the spot where she had been standing.

"Arrogant git," mumbled Hermione once she was safely in her room with the door locked behind her. She collapsed on her bed, thinking of what Lucius' escape meant. The more she thought, the guiltier she felt about what she had done. Obviously knowing that his father was loose would of course be very stressful, and she should have known not to read the letter without asking. Draco had always been very possessive and secretive about his things. She had learned that last year when she had caught him writing in his journal, he had snapped at her back then when she asked him about it.

'Maybe I should go apologize,' she thought, biting her lip. But just when she was ready to go, another voice inside her head piped up. 'No you don't! He's the one who bit your head off over nothing! He's the one who should be apologizing!' Hermione really didn't want to have this debate in her head, and deep down she agreed with the second voice. So, like she always did whenever she was stressed, or wanted to clear her mind from reality, she sat down to her homework.

- - - - - - - - - -

After Hermione slammed his door, Draco furiously tore his mothers' letter to shreds, allowing the pieces to fall to the floor like confetti. Whatever small amount of relaxation the shower had provided him was now completely lost again. He threw on his pajamas, and took to pacing his room angrily, unable to calm his mind, or his body. He moved to his bed, punched a pillow, seized it and threw it violently across the room. It hit the door with a small thud, and dropped to the floor. Draco ran his fingers through his still damp hair, attempting to force himself to calm down. He needed to sort through his thoughts, so he retreated to the safety of his journal.

He wrote about the letter, how it meant that the Dark Lord would know about what happened last spring. How Lucius would undoubtedly want to seek revenge. Draco did not write about what had happened when Hermione read the note, he was too angry with himself to put it into words. Why did he have to take his anger out on her so harshly? He had been planning on telling her about the letter anyway, eventually, so why did he blow up when she read it? Those were the thoughts Draco was left with once he had tucked his journal back into his trunk. He sat up in his bed leaning against the wall, his pride and guilt waging an inner battle over whether or not to go apologize. Normally, there would have been no contest; his pride would definitely win since Draco had rarely ever felt guilty for anything in his life. But his world had a habit of turning upside down whenever Hermione was involved. So, acting against the dominating voice of his pride, and hardly able to believe the he, Draco Malfoy, was about to apologize for something, he got out of bed and walked over to Hermione's room.

At first he just stood there, staring intently at the closed door. His pride was screaming at him to turn back, lock himself in his room and forget about the whole thing. It was only when the realization hit that the voice of his pride sounded eerily like Lucius that Draco was able to shut the voice away and knock on the door. He knocked a few times, very softly so that Hermione would know that he was not there to yell at her.

He waited a moment, but heard nothing. Thinking that she may be in the bathroom, he knocked louder a few more times. He waited another moment, but met no response, with a disappointed sigh he turned around and shuffled back toward his room. 'Great' he thought 'now she's pissed with me, just bloody great!'

- - - - - - - - - -

Hermione was concentrating deeply on her homework when Draco came by. She was so engrossed that she did not hear him knock the first time at all. When he knocked the second time, it took her so long to process what the noise was that he was already at his room by the time she hurriedly unlocked her door. "Draco wait!" she called. Draco stopped in his tracks and turned around, surprised, and slightly relieved that she had answered. "I'm sorry," she continued, "I was working so hard that it took me a minute to realize you had been knocking." Hermione walked to the center of the common room as she spoke. "Was there something you wanted?" She did her best to keep her face expressionless, but between hoping that he would apologize, her fears about Lucius, and her anger with Draco for snapping at her, she doubted she was successful.

Draco smiled slightly, glad to know that she hadn't been ignoring him on purpose, but he could still detect some amount of hurt in her eyes, and he was sorry that he had put it there. He walked forward and met her halfway across the room. But when he stopped, he found himself unable to speak, he didn't have much experience with apologizing or admitting he was wrong, so he did not know what to say.

"Well," Hermione said expectantly, raising her eyebrows and crossing her arms.

"Look Hermione," Draco began, not quite meeting her eyes, "I just . . . I just wanted to say . . . I'm sorry."

Hermione smiled, she knew from his unease that he meant it, but still she was not completely satisfied. She had learned not to trust Draco unless she could see it in his eyes. "What was that?" she asked encouragingly as she uncrossed her arms and looked hopefully at him.

"I said" Draco responded louder, turning his head to her and locking his eyes with hers, "that I'm sorry for yelling at you about reading the letter, I didn't mean to take my anger out on you like that.

Hermione beamed at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him lovingly, "you're forgiven."

Draco smiled and let out a deep breath, "thank you," he whispered. He placed his hands on her hips and gently kissed her forehead.

"So," she began quietly, as she stepped back and took a seat on the couch, "do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Draco answered shortly as he joined her on the couch and put his head in his hands, "no, I'd really rather not think about it, at least not right now."

Hermione nodded and frowned as she looked into the fire. They both knew that there was no hope that they would forget about Lucius' escape, but for the time being it was easier to ignore it than it was to acknowledge it by talking about it. But not talking about it did little to erase the fear that was pumping through Hermione's heart at the thought of Lucius. She moved next to Draco and wrapped her arms around him, needing to feel the sense of security that she felt with him.

Draco could feel the tension in her body when she held him. That had been exactly the reason why he hadn't wanted to tell her about Lucius' escape right away; he didn't want her to be afraid. He hugged her back, wishing that he could ease away her fears. He kept one arm around Hermione's body, and with the other he stroked her hair, it felt soft as it slid through his fingers. He kissed the top of her head, and felt her breathe a little deeper and relax a bit in response. He closed his eyes concentrating only on the feel of her hair, the warmth of her body, and the softness of her skin against his.

Hermione's skin tingled at his touch; she could feel his breath blowing on the top of her head. She snuggled closer to him, and together they softly drifted off to sleep holding each other tight.

* * *

I certainly hope you all enjoyed this chapter and that you think it was worth the wait. I'm sorry to say that it's going to be another long wait for the next chapter, but hopefully it will be worth it too.   
Please review, because I love hearing your thoughts! And as thanks, here are some Every Flavor Beans!   
_Slytherin-kittycat passes out boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans to all her reviewers.   
_I hope there are some interesting flavored ones in there for you! Thanks! 


	6. Chapter 6: Odd Behavior

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **Please don't hate me! I know I've been horrible making you wait to long for an update. I won't bother with the excuses (though there are several valid reasons why) but I will do my absolute best to make sure that it never happens again. In the meantime, thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! You guys are the greatest! (Oh, sorry to those of you who got bad tasting every-flavor beans, I won't be giving those out anymore!)

_TheAngelOfDarkness, HarryPotterFan670, JessicaDracoMalfoy, zuvalupa, Alcapacien, Jaezi, roundrockrules, hotskittles_ – Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it!!  
_Hermione Weasley192_ – thank you so much! Don't worry, I promise they won't fight every chapter. But in answer to your question, I don't know yet if anyone will die, we'll just have to wait and see where the plot goes!  
_FalconWing_ – Thanks, I'm glad to hear that you think the pacing is right so far. Hope you enjoy this chapter!  
_elektra30_ – yay! You saw the subtle points! I'm so glad that they weren't lost because both of the things you mentioned are important. Thanks for the review!_  
FallenBrokenAngel_ – Thank you! I'm so happy that you like it so far. And trust me, I hate that I'm having writers block too!  
_aurora black_ – Yes it is PG-13 for a reason, and there will be more PG-13 stuff, it will be there when I see it as being appropriate to the story. ;o)  
_SwTnDrEaMyPnAy03_ – Yay! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the last story, and are enjoying this one. And I'm always thrilled to hear that I've earned another faithful reviewer, you guys keep me writing even when I feel like I'll never get the story the way I want it!  
_Alberta_ – Wow, it's so awesome when people say that I could write professionally (I'm actually thinking about starting an original story, so maybe someday I will be). Anyway, I know what you mean about liking the mean Draco better, so don't worry, I guarantee you haven't seen the last of him! ;o)  
_ZippyRox_ – Wow, I am so happy that you feel my story is that good. And thanks for taking the time to let me know! I hope you continue to like it!  
_Karma Chameleon_ – Glad to hear you like the plot. I never thought about how Ginny would feel, right now she's happily crushing on a Ravenclaw boy, so I don't think she's too jealous.  
_random gal_ – glad you liked how the chapter ended! Sorry, I can't tell you what happens to Draco or Lucius, it would ruin the rest of the story!  
_KCGryffindor_ – thanks, glad you liked it. True, Draco did have the right to be angry, but I think Hermione did too, so really either one of them could have apologized; I just decided to have Draco do it. Sorry about the spinach flavored bean!  
_AvidPotterFan_ – Glad that you want to know the end, but don't want me to just tell you what happens, cause I agree, the anticipation is half the fun! I hope you like this chapter!  
_shadow-n-the-dark_ – I'm sorry, I know you must be furious with the long wait (I'm rather angry with myself for it as well) Sorry about the bad tasting every-flavor bean too! :o/ But, I am very happy to hear that you liked the last chapter so much, and I hope this one meets your expectations as well.  
_Sirius-harry-n-remus_ – Yes Dumbledore knows about Lucius, escape, but he does not know about Harry's scar. Thanks for the review!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**

* * *

Chapter 6: Odd Behavior **

"He knows," spoke the solemn voice of the Dark Lords messenger. His head, though covered by a black hood, was bowed down. "Narcissa sent him an owl yesterday with the news."

"Yes," responded the icy snakelike voice of Lord Voldemort, "I did not expect her to keep quiet for long. None-the-less, now he will be on the lookout, it is now absolutely imperative that everyone stick to the plan." Lord Voldemort set his eyes directly on the Death Eaters', even though they were covered by a mask, the Dark Lord's stare seem to bore right through it into his servants fearful eyes. "It is especially crucial for you to follow the plan, for if you fail, it will all fall apart, and then all shall be punished more severely than you can even imagine."

The Death Eater gulped, "yes Master, I will not fail you." The Death Eater then bowed deeply before stepping out of the room.

"Lucius!" bellowed the Dark Lord.Lucius Malfoy silently stepped out of the shadows and joined his master in the center of the room. "You heard the messenger, so now we have work to do, for now the time is fast approaching."

"And I eagerly await it my Lord, what is it you wish me to do?"

"Once the time is right, and all is ready, we will need an appropriate and accessible place where we will not be disturbed to carry it out. Your task is to find such a place without being seen.

"Yes my Lord," Lucius bowed, he turned to leave, but stopped before he reached the door. He turned back to the Dark Lord. "My Lord, shall I inform Severus of the plot, he would be able to keep an eye on things."

"No, I am already wary of him. I am sure Dumbledore keeps an extremely close watch over Severus, and I do not want Dumbledore to find out what we are planning" answered Voldemort with hatred dripping from his lips when he spoke of Dumbledore.

"Of course My Lord," Lucius bowed again and swept out of the room leaving the Dark Lord alone.

Lord Voldemort turned his back to the door and let out a cruel chuckle, "Soon you shall see, no one escapes or disobeys Lord Voldemort!"

- - - - - - - - - -

At the same moment, within the safety of Hogwarts, both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy suddenly awoke. Harry's scar was searing with pain, and he felt an inexplicable happiness in the pit of his stomach. "Shit," he muttered as he rubbed his scar trying to dull the pain.

Draco meanwhile was trying to slow his pounding heart. He took several deep breaths, and shut his eyes tight, trying to recall if he had been dreaming. He assumed he must have been, as that was the only explanation he could think of for why he would have awoken so suddenly. His eyes darted around the common room, which was slowly growing brighter due to the rising sun. He wondered what time it was, figuring that it must be earlier than he would normally wake up. He laid still a moment, the light pressure of Hermione's body next to him helped to calm his nerves a bit. She was still sound asleep. Her head rested lightly on his chest, and one of her arms was wrapped around his torso. Draco carefully lifted her arm off him and attempted to slide off the couch without waking her. Unfortunately, he was stopped by the fact that his other arm was stuck underneath her. With his free arm he lifted her as carefully as possible to free his other arm. For a moment he though he had woken her up, but she merely shifted to her other side and continued sleeping. Draco smiled at her, stroked her hair, and gave her a small kiss on the head.

Hoping he might be able to get some more sleep before it was time to get up for the day; Draco retreated to the solitude of his room. But though his bed was soft and comfortable, and the thought of sleep was inviting, all he could do was lie on his back and think. The one thought that refused to leave his mind was 'why had he woken up like that?' Frustrated with his inability to fall back to sleep, he got up and stood by his window, watching the sunrise over the glistening waters of the lake.

Not long after Draco left the common room, Hermione drifted out of her sleep, feeling a slight chill. Without opening her eyes, she moved to snuggle into Draco, but instead she nearly fell off the couch. With a start she jolted up, only just catching herself before she hit the ground. "Draco?" she called.

"Mmmhmm?" he answered, his voice sounding very distant inside his room. Hermione slowly stood, and walked over to his doorway. She curiously eyed Draco standing at his window just staring outward.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing," he answered, not moving his gaze.

"It felt kind of lonely waking up on the couch without you there," ventured Hermione, attempting to attract Draco's attention. She stood right next to him, still eyeing him with a curious confusion.

He did not look at her, but he did wrap his arm around her waist and drew her closer. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up, I just had a nightmare, and I didn't want to disturb you."

"What was it about?" Hermione asked, though she already had a pretty good idea of what the subject of Draco's nightmare had been.

"I don't remember. I just woke up with my heart racing madly, so I must have been dreaming of something."

"Oh," answered Hermione, turning her attention to the beautifully peaceful landscape outside the window and sighing a bit wishing her life could be as peaceful.

Draco finally turned his head to her. The golden glow of the rising sun was shining against her skin, making the light appear to be radiating from within her. He could see tiny flecks of gold mixed in the brown color of her eyes. In his mind, she was every bit as beautiful as the scene outside. Sure, her hair was frizzier than usual from a nights sleep on the couch, and there was still sleep in her eyes, but she was still beautiful to him.

Hermione could feel Draco's gaze on her, and she could no longer keep her eyes away, she turned to him, wondering what she had done to deserve such a loving gaze from him this morning. Seeing him look at her like that caused an uncommon urge of desire to flutter in the core of her chest. When she looked at him, Draco tightened his grip around her waist and kissed her on the head. A slight smile played across her lips, and she tilted her head upward as he leaned down to kiss her tenderly. She eagerly responded by kissing him back and snaking her hands around his neck. Draco moved his free hand to Hermione's head pressing her closer to him.

Hermione grew weak in the knees from the passion of Draco's kisses, and soon she was using him to hold herself up. Draco felt the change in pressure against him, so he moved his hand from Hermione's head to her waist so he could lift her. Hermione broke the kiss to let out an amused gasp when Draco picked her up. He carried her across the room and placed her delicately on his bed. She lay down and giggled provocatively. Draco leaned on his side next to her, smiling mischievously. He lowered his mouth next to her ear, "now where were we?" he whispered his breath tickled her ear. He began placing sweet kisses on her neck. They were so short and playful that they caused Hermione to giggle with pleasure. She moved her head back and to the side, giving Draco easier access to her neck. Meanwhile she brought her hands to his head, running her fingers through his perfectly silky hair.

Draco was now bored with kissing her neck and was moving his kisses up her chin where he met her at the mouth. She surprised him by eagerly lifting her head up so that she was leaning even more deeply into his kiss than he had anticipated. Excited by her eagerness, his hand, which had simply been holding her side began caressing her skin underneath her shirt. He shifted so he was more on top rather than to the side, a slight moan of desire escaped Hermione's lips encouraging Draco further. His other hand was now also touching her skin, both slowly and steadily sliding her shirt upwards.

Draco leaned in, deepening their kiss further, his tongue ready to venture into Hermione's mouth when suddenly the loud buzzing of his alarm clock shocked them both so much that they bolted apart and were left staring at each other with a look of shocked confusion breathing heavily. Draco grabbed his wand from the bedside table and jabbed it angrily at the alarm. "Bloody fucking annoying alarm," he muttered furiously closing his eyes and lying on his back. He tried hopelessly to recapture the mood, but it was no use, it was long gone now.

Hermione shifted to her side leaning on her arm watching Draco. She could see the frustration in his face even with his eyes closed. She was disappointed that the alarm had rung as well, but didn't seem to be taking the interruption as badly as Draco. She leaned down and kissed him once more before she rolled off the bed to a standing position. She smiled down at him, "come on, we got classes to go to."

Draco groaned and covered his face with his hands while Hermione left his room to prepare for the day. He didn't bother taking a shower, since he had the night before, so he just lounged around attempting to clear his mind, and cursing the 'bloody alarm clock' while he waited for Hermione.

All through her shower and while she was getting ready, Hermione kept closing her eyes and savoring the feeling of Draco's kisses. The bliss she felt when they kissed was the greatest feeling in the world to her. She didn't realize how much she had been craving having him kiss and touch her like that until he had done it, and now she couldn't get enough.

Sure, they kissed a lot, and they would always cuddle up together when they were alone, but this was different. Kissing like they had just done was a different level of their relationship, one of lust and desire, one that she found herself craving more of. Before she left her room, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, mentally telling herself not to give into the desire now, not when she had a full day of responsibilities ahead.

However, the thought of the day ahead was not enough to wipe away the dreamy far-off look that stayed with her throughout the morning. Luckily, her friends didn't notice, as Ginny didn't share any classes with them, Harry was preoccupied thinking about his scar burning, and Ron was just, well unobservant as usual.

Draco on the other hand, found that a whole new set of thoughts invaded his conscience once he stepped out of the common room and into the everyday world of the castle. He couldn't chase the thoughts of his father away. He did his best concentrating in class, but was not entirely successful. He was thankful when the bell for lunch rang, thinking that perhaps some food would somehow clear his head. He was packing up his charms book when Blaise grabbed his robes and yanked him over to a corner of the room. "What are you doing?" Draco spat with a frown.

"Malfoy I need to talk to you, it's urgent, I don't know what to do!" pleaded Blaise.

For a moment Draco just stared at him. This was not like Blaise at all, Blaise never asked for help for any reason. "What is it?" Draco whispered shortly, thinking that it better be something very important.

"It's, well," Blaise inhaled deeply to begin explaining, but never got around to it.

"Blaise darling!" came the shrill voice of Pansy, "what are you doing over here silly, you two are going to miss lunch. You can talk in the Great Hall." Pansy laced her fingers in between Blaise's and smiled sweetly.

Blaise immediately put on a smile, as if nothing was wrong and turned to Pansy, "you're right, we better get going." Blaise turned and led Pansy out of the room, not once looking back at Draco to give him any indication of his thoughts.

Draco sneered, and slowly lifted his bag wondering what Blaise could have wanted to discuss. Whatever it was, he obviously hadn't told Pansy. Draco shrugged and laughed to himself, 'maybe he's trying to dump her' he thought. 'I certainly would if I were him.'

Draco entered the Great Hall to see the tables already filled. Though of course there was a spot open for him in between Crabbe and Goyle, opposite Pansy and Blaise. Draco tried to catch Blaise's eye all through lunch, searching for some indication of anything. Blaise however, seemed determined to never quite meet Draco's eye. Draco quickly gave up trying to make sense of Blaise's odd behavior; he had more important things to think about anyway.

- - - - - - - - - -

Draco left lunch early to return to the common room to get his books for his afternoon classes, which were potions and transfiguration. Hermione met him there, and together they walked down to Snape's classroom.

Draco and Hermione were the first to arrive in the potions classroom. So, since no one was there to see, Draco leaned in and kissed Hermione deeply. Hermione was about to loop her arms around his neck when her conscience kicked in and reminded her where she was. Instead of pulling him closer, she pushed him away. "Draco!" she whispered forcefully, "what if someone walked in and saw us!"

Draco rolled his eyes and smiled slightly, "Hermione, think about it, no one but us ever gets to potions class this early. For some reason, the other houses don't seem to like professor Snape much." Hermione just shook her head, a slight grin playing across her face. "I can imagine why that would be," Draco added as an afterthought, feigning ignorance.

Draco was about to move in closer to kiss Hermione when the door shot open and Blaise practically ran inside. He quickly spotted Draco, and hurried over to him, pushing Hermione out of the way and completely ignoring her presence.

Hermione gave Draco a look that clearly said 'I told you so' before settling herself down into her seat.

Draco rolled his eyes at Hermione before turning his attention to Blaise with a frown. "Is there something you need Zabini? I was in the middle of something."

Blaise nodded, his eyes darting to the door before he spoke. He was breathing heavily, as if he had been rushing to get here. "Malfoy I have to talk to you, you're the only one I can trust and I need your help." Blaise spoke quickly and in a whisper, but Hermione was still close enough to hear. She stopped rummaging through her bag in order to listen more closely.

"What is it?" asked Draco, his voice urgent. He was rather alarmed because Slytherins never asked for help.

But Blaise didn't answer; he suddenly seemed to remember that he and Draco were not alone in the room. He whipped around, glaring at Hermione, who quickly resumed her search for her potions book, unable to hide the color rushing to her cheeks. Draco looked questioning at Blaise, but then led the way to the very front of the room where he usually sat. Blaise instead of sitting behind Draco as usual, sat next to him. "Now," began Draco, calmly and quietly, "what is this all about?"

Blaise opened his mouth to respond, but was distracted and very aware of the other students who were slowly trickling into the classroom. "I'm in trouble, you gotta help me."

Draco narrowed his eyes, and frowned, "help you what?"

But why Blaise was in trouble, Draco did not find out, because just then, Pansy and her gang of Slytherin girls entered the room. "Blaise! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you," said Pansy loudly as she seated herself behind Blaise and Draco. "Why do you keep disappearing?"

Despite himself, Draco snorted with laughter, remembering how he had always tried to escape Pansy when she had been clinging to him. Blaise glanced almost nervously at Draco before turning his attention to Pansy, "I just had some things I needed to do. But we're here together now, so that's all that matters right?"

"Right," Pansy answered happily, before leaning forward to kiss Blaise. He kissed her back and Draco's stomach churned with disgust. He quickly looked away, trying to erase the disturbing memories that were flying through his head.

Hermione was in the back of the room; busy wondering what Blaise had been so desperate to talk about hen Harry and Ron showed up just as it was time for class to start. "Where have you two been?" she snapped as they sat down. But she never got an answer, for just then the door leading to Snape's office burst open and Snape, who was in an inordinately bad temper stormed in. Most of the class shrunk back in their seats, wishing they could just disappear. Even the Slytherin's who usually looked very smug and content in potions viewed Snape warily. They had rarely ever seen Snape in such a bad mood, and everyone was a bit curious as to why Snape was so angry, though none dared to ask him about it.

"Today you will be pairing off and creating a silencing solution. It is meant to temporarily silence the drinker much in the same way that a silencing spell does." Snape's lip curled malevolently at the looks the students were giving him, "and I shall be doing the pairing." The Gryffindors gulped and the Slytherins sneered. They all knew that Snape would be pairing them with a member from the other house, and neither group was all too pleased with that setup. Hermione looked to Draco, who was looking back at her. Both were hoping to be paired together, but considering Snapes bad temper, neither was optimistic.

Snape began pairing the students off; he seemed to be purposely pairing people with their worst nightmare for a potions class project. With each group formed, Snape earned groans and nasty looks from the students. "Potter, you will be with Goyle," Harry shot Snape as exasperated look. "Zabini, you move back there with Granger" Blaise, turned to Pansy, grit his teeth and rolled his eyes at the warning look Draco was giving him. Hermione looked pained, but tried her best not to show it. After all it could have been worse, she could have been unfortunate enough to be paired with Pansy like Neville was.

"Weasley, you come up here with Malfoy." Hermione stared at Draco unblinking, Ron gaped at Snape, and Draco was staring at Snape with disbelief.

"You can't seriously pair me with that git!" cried Ron, causing both Draco and Hermione to turn and scowl at him.

"That will be five points deducted from Gryffindor for your tongue Weasley!" barked Snape.

"But professor that's not fair!" argued Ron, unable to stop himself.

"That will be another five points! Would you like to try for 15?" roared Snape.

Ron opened his mouth to retort, but was silenced by Hermione's foot, which she had stamped down on his. So, with his shoulders sagging in defeat, Ron shuffled up to the front of the room as slowly as possible.

"Professor," began Draco, "You aren't seriously pairing me with Weasley are you? I'd sooner be paired with Potter!"

"That is enough Mr. Malfoy, the pairs will stand as they are, and there shall be no more complaints."

Draco sneered, but fell silent. There was a slight grumbling amongst the Gryffindors because Draco's comment had gone unpunished whereas Ron's had lost 10 points. "Quiet," warned Snape, and instantly the room fell silent except for the scraping of cauldrons and ingredients against the wooden desks.

Ron dropped into the chair that Blaise had vacated scowling at Draco. From the back of the room, Hermione bit her lip as she watched the two of them staring daggers as each other. She hoped against hope that they would make it through the period without killing each other. She only snapped out of her thoughts when Blaise angrily cleared his throat to get her attention, and shoved some of the ingredients in front of her.

"Alright Weasley, I'll slice the boomslang skin while you ground the beetle eyes," ordered Draco.

"Oh no, I'm not letting you mess up this assignment for me!" argued Ron. Although why he was arguing even he could not say since he would rather ground than slice anyway.

"Weasley, I have the highest marks in the year for potions . . . yes, even higher than Hermione," Draco said, correctly interpreting Ron's skeptical look. "So if anyone has any reason to be concerned about their marks for this project, it's me!"

Try as he might, Ron could not argue with that, so furiously he began crushing the beetle eyes, imaging each one to be either Draco's or Snape's head (though mostly Draco's).

Meanwhile, in the back of the room, things were working out surprisingly well between Blaise and Hermione. Although Hermione was positive that he was only being civil to her because he was friends with Draco. He had barely said a word to her, which was definitely a step up from the way most of the other Slytherin's treated her. But still, she was having trouble ignoring the scathing looks he was giving her. She held her head down and directed all her concentration on preparing the ingredients.

The class was going by almost bearably for everyone, until Neville increased the temperature of his and Pansy's potion too much, causing their incomplete mixture to explode. Pansy screamed shrilly as the hot potion washed over her face. They were both sprayed with it, causing, long stringy orange tentacles to sprout all over their skin.

"Longbottom!" roared Snape, his eyes flashing with anger, "10 points from Gryffindor for your incompetence! Now, both of you, get to the hospital wing immediately!"

Pansy dashed out of the room, shrieking with fury and covering her face as best as possible, Neville followed her, whimpering a bit, and knocking into the desks as he passed. On top of his usual clumsiness, the tentacles were greatly impairing his vision.

The Slytherins howled with laughter while the Gryffindors threw them dirty looks. "Ha!" laughed Draco, "leave it to Longbottom to mess up simple instructions."

"Shut up Malfoy!" shouted Ron much louder than he had intended, inadvertently drawing the attention of the other students and professor Snape to them.

Draco noticed all the eyes on them, so managing to suppress his anger, he let the comment go with a smirk as he added the sliced boomslang skin to the potion. Ron however, did not notice the attention he had draw, and was getting increasingly worked up. All his repressed anger and jealousy towards Draco was now boiling inside him hotter than their potion, and there was no stopping it from escaping now.

"Neville," continued Ron, "is ten times better than you or any of your idiot friends are any day!"

Draco snorted with laughter, "sure he is Weasley."

Ron's face was steadily growing redder and his fists were clenched with anger. Hermione was praying that he would keep quiet as she watched her potion simmering. Blaise on the other hand was watching Ron and Draco with amusement hoping one of them would snap and start a fight. Harry was trying to catch Ron's eye so he would calm down, but it was no use.

"You," growled Ron through gritted teeth "are an arrogant, worthless, sleazy, no good git!"

Draco's eyes narrowed into threatening slits, and went dark with anger, like dark threatening clouds swirling during a storm. In the back of the room Blaise was looking positively gleeful, "oh this is gonna be good," he grinned as he anxiously awaited Draco's comeback.

Draco turned when he heard Blaise speak, but rather than look at him, Draco's eyes automatically focused on Hermione. He was pleased to find that she was glaring furiously at Ron. Draco knew that if he retorted with the string of insults he had ready and waiting to throw at Ron she would be angry with him as well. So, biting back the nasty names he had ready to spout out, he turned back to face Ron with a smug look on his face. When he spoke it was in a threatening whisper so that only Ron could hear, "You know that's not true Weasley, and I'm sure I can think of at least one person in this room who agrees with me." Draco's eyes darted to Hermione, then back to Ron.

Ron didn't understand what Draco was talking about, so he looked to here Draco's eyes had flickered. To his horror, he saw Hermione looking positively furious at him. Knowing that the look on Hermione's face would piss off Ron more than anything Draco said could, Draco smirked proudly, turned his back to Ron, and began ladling their perfectly brewed, and very hot potion into a vile to turn into Snape. He was so attentive to the potion, making sure it didn't spill that he didn't see Ron's next move.

But Hermione, Blaise and Harry all saw what Ron was doing, and all at once they reacted. Hermione and Blaise shouted "Draco look out!"

While Harry yelled "Ron don't!"

But Ron did not stop. Draco started to turn to Blaise and Hermione giving them a questioning look, but as he did so Ron dumped the entire cauldron filled with scalding hot ??? solution on Draco's head. Draco cried out in a mixture od pain and fury. The vile he had been so carefully filling dropped and shattered on the floor. "Weasley you're dead!" roared Draco as he rammed into Ron, sending them both crashing to the floor.

"That is enough!" bellowed Snape, before the entire class could join in on the fight. He pulled Draco off of Ron, "Mr. Malfoy, get to the hospital wing, Mr. Zabini you go with him."

"Professor couldn't I . . ." began Hermione.

"Miss Granger you will stay in your seat!" snapped Snape.

Hermione shrank back in her seat and watched worriedly as Blaise led Draco out of the room. Draco needed the guidance because the potion had swelled his eyes nearly shut.

"Now," Snape turned to Ron sneering. Ron's nose was gushing blood, his eye was black and blue and swollen from Draco's attack, but Snape took no notice. "Mr. Weasley, you deliberately assaulted another student, unprovoked I might add. You endangered not only Mr. Malfoy, but everyone around you when you dumped the potion. I believe that deserves 50 points from Gryffindor, and a weeks worth of detention.

"Ron sputtered indignantly, "But . . ."

"Oh yes, and since you failed to turn in a sample of your potion, you shall receive a zero for this assignment," Snape's lip curled with satisfaction at the look on Ron's face. "The rest of you may turn in your potion samples now," Snape said to the rest of the class.

Harry turned in his potion, which was more of a dark purple than brown as it should have been, which caused Snape to sneer. Harry however didn't care, he was just concerned with trying to calm Ron down.

Hermione carefully filled a vile with the solution. She handed it to Snape, and barely even bothered to look towards Ron before rushing out of the classroom. She was a little concerned about his injuries of course, but she wasn't about to comfort him after what he had done to Draco. And at the moment she was too concerned with finding out if Draco was alright, as well as what exactly he had said to Ron that got him so worked up. She knew that Ron was often irrational, but still she couldn't believe that he would have attacked Draco like that if he had not been seriously provoked.

While Hermione was r acing through the halls, Harry was back in the potions classroom trying to calm Ron down. "Ron, come on," he urged "you should go see Madam Pomfrey."

"No!" argued Ron, pushing Harry out of the way and charging forward through the hall. "I refuse to go in there while that arse is in there, and I certainly will not go while she's there comforting the arrogant bastard!"

Harry sighed in defeat and followed Ron to class. He didn't want to gang up on Hermione, but his hatred for Malfoy coupled with how much his scra had been burning recently put him on edge. He could not ignore the feeling, or was it more of an intuition, that her being so close to Malfoy was putting her in grave danger.

Ron's nose was still bleeding when they arrived at transfiguration, so he pulled one of Fred and George's Nosebleed Nougats from his pocket and ate the half that stopped nosebleeds. Sure enough, within a moment his nose was fine. He still had a black eye, but at the moment he was too angry to care.

When Hermione arrived at the hospital wing, slightly out of breath, she saw that Madam Pomfrey was tending to Draco. Neville and Pansy were still there, but the tentacles on their faces were nearly gone, and Blaise had apparently left already. Madame Pomfrey turned when she heard Hermione enter, she gave her a stern look, but nodded, then headed over to see to Neville, who seemed to be having some difficulty getting rid of the last of the tentacles.

Hermione dropped her bag and sat beside Draco's bed. His face was covered with some sort of thick white paste that was apparently mending his burned skin. He opened his eyes when he heard Hermione and smiled slightly when he was her. She smiled momentarily and asked, "how are you?"

Draco sighed a bit overdramatically, "well, thankfully the ??? solution is only effective if you drink it, so I just got burned. Madame Pomfrey says I'll be free to leave once the paste disappears.

Hermione let out a breath of relief and tried to smile again, but it was weak and it was quickly replaced with a stern look. Draco frowned a bit and looked confused. "You know," began Hermione solemnly, "you gave Ron a pretty serious nosebleed, and a black eye when you hit him."

Draco smirked proudly and chuckled, "the git deserved it" he muttered under his breath.

Hermione frowned, "what did you say to him?"

Draco glared at Hemrione with disbelief, "what did I say! Hermione, did you see what he did to me? Did you hear what he said to me?"

"Yes! I heard what he said to, and I saw what he did after you whispered something to him. But I know that Ron would never have gone that far if you hadn't said something to provoke him!"

By now, both Neville and Pansy were listening to the row going on between Draco and Hermione, since neither of them had seen what had happened to Draco, they were both curious to hear more. Draco was scowling, "what the fuck does it matter what I said?" he spat.

"If it doesn't matter, then why won't you tell me?" challenged Hermione.

Draco's eyes narrowed, "fine, you want to know, he called me a sleazy git, so I glanced over to you and said that I could think of someone who would disagree."

Hermione looked furious, "I knew it! I knew you somehow put me in the middle of it! Why do you have to do that? It's hard enough for me without you purposely trying to cause problems between me and my friends!"

Draco sneered, "Oh and you think I'm just having a grand old time dealing with things?" I see the way that weasel looks at you when you're not looking Hermione, I know what he's thinking. Do you think it's easy for me to know that you're always in class with him, eating with him, and hanging around him with the way he feels about you?"

Hermione gasped indignantly, "you're jealous! How can you be jealous?"

"No!" argues Draco, "I'm just noting how things haven't been a walk in the park for me either. I'm sure I don't need to remind out of what my friends attitudes towards you, and out relationship are."

Hermione dropped her head, "no you don't. Just please, I love you, but please don't make things more difficult between me and my friends than they already are."

Draco closed his eyes and took a breath to relieve some anger, he grit his teeth when he spoke, "I'll try, but I'm not promising anything if he starts something."

Hermione looked up into his cool gray eyes and let out a breath, "okay," she whispered," I have to go to class now. She picked up her bag and turned away, but before she left, she turned back. "And Draco, I love you," she blew him a kiss.

"I love you too," he whispered calmly. He watched her until she left the room, and then he sighed, closed his eyes, and lay his head back on his pillow.

"So, looks like there's a bit of trouble in Paradise is there?" said a cruel and gleeful voice from across the room.

"Shut up Pansy," ordered Draco.

* * *

I hope this chapter was worth the wait for everyone. Please send me a review and tell me what you think! Now, I'm off to get started on chapter 7! 


	7. Chapter 7: What's Going On?

**Disclaimer: **Yes I have been making my readers wait unreasonably long times for story updates, but no I am not JK Rowling. Therefore, Harry Potter does not belong to me!

**A/N: **Hello all! I hope everyone is doing well. I would like that thank all my reviewers and readers who are sticking with my story even though the updates (especially the last one) are taking so long. You all are awesome!

_HarryPotterFan670, __Ihearttomfelton, Chantal J, __roundrockrules, Sunflower18, bigred20, FallenBrokenAngel_ – Thanks for the reviews!  
_Hermione Weasley192_– glad you enjoyed that scene, and no worries the rating won't change ;) Now lets see, will we be visiting anyone's grave . . . we'll just have to wait and see!  
_Ginny-W13_ – happy to hear you like the story so far, and you'll find out what's going on with Blaise soon ;)  
_Shuggr-holic_ – glad you liked the chapter, hope this update didn't take too long for you!  
_Melovedraco_ – glad you like and, and that you think it's getting even better as it goes. And yes, Voldemort is definitely seeking revenge on Draco.  
_elektra30_ – I'm glad you liked the tension cause there will definitely be more of that! And you're fic is good, it just takes time to get people into it. I would say update it soon, but I'm obviously in no position to tell anyone else to update when I've been doing such a poor job of it myself! lol  
_Karma Chameleon_ – sorry you had to read it over cause I took so long, but I'm thrilled that you like it enough to do that! Also according to the hp-lexicon, the nosebleed nougats do have a cure; I think in the book the twins just had trouble developing the cure at first. Thanks for bringing it to my attention though; I'm always happy when I find out that my readers are paying attention to the details! ;)  
_FalconWing_ – No Draco did not get a 0 for the assignment, Snape gave him an exemption from it, sorry I forgot to include that! I don't want to give anything away, but Blaise's worries are very important to the story.  
_Sirius-harry-n-remus_ – glad the thing with Voldemort intrigues you, and yes, more about Blaise's problem is soon to be revealed!_  
SwTnDrEaMyPnAy03_ – aww that's so annoying when things get interrupted like that! Anyway, no Blaise did not tell Draco what was so important on their way to the hospital wing, Draco wasn't really in the mood to listen to anyone at the time, he was in pain.  
_Cold-eyes-for-you_ – I'm so glad you felt it was worth the wait! I hope you like this chapter just as much! Thanks!!  
_Zuvalupa_ – so glad you like it! And yes, there will be more about Blaise's problem soon.  
_Anonymous-139_ – So happy to hear that you liked the first story, and are enjoying this one as well!

Now without further adieu, here is chapter 7! Enjoy!!

* * *

**Chapter 7: What's going on?**

Hermione just barely made it to transfiguration in time, she arrivedjust as professor McGonagall entered the classroom from her office.Hermione ran up to her usual seat, but to her surprise found that neither Harry nor Ron were in their usual seats next to her. Instead she was sitting beside Dean and Seamus. She smiled slightly and said hello and as professor McGonagall was preparing her lecture materials for the day, Hermione glanced around for Harry and Ron. Her eyes met Ron's first, and he was staring daggers at her despite his bruised eye. Hermione bit her lip as she surveyed the injury, it looked much worse now that she was actually looking at it, and she was sure that it was very painful. In the back of her mind, she wondered why he had not gone to the hospital wing, surely it would have been easily cured by Madam Pomfrey in an instant. Ron scoffed at the sympathetic look Hermione gave him and turned away. Hermione sighed and looked to Harry, silently seeking support and comfort. But there was none to be found in Harry, for he was also glaring at Hermione. Hermione frowned and mouthed 'what?', but he just rolled his eyes and looked away. Hermione frowned even more, disbelief and hurt seeping through her. She could at least understand why Ron was pissed, but Harry? That just didn't make sense. Besides, neither of them had any right to be angry with her, she hadn't done anything. Hermione sighed with frustration, and did her best to focus on the notes professor McGonagall was giving them. But her mind was not fully in it, and her notes were a good page and a half shorter than usual (though they were still much longer and more detailed than anyone else's notes.)

At the end of class, Harry and Ron disappeared before Hermione could pack up her things, so she didn't get a chance to talk to them. Not that she would have known what to say if she did get to talk to them, she grit her teeth at the thought.

They had no right to be mad at her. What she did, who she was friends with, and who she dated was no business of theirs. With that somewhat rebellious thought, Hermione wandered down to the Great Hall for dinner with the hope that some food would clear her mind. The hall was nearly empty when she arrived, which she was thankful for because she was not really in the mood to deal with large groups at the moment. Hermione sat towards the end of her table away from the other Gryffindors who were at dinner early. She sighed slightly as she filled her plate, wishing she could somehow straighten out her life.

She tried to smile at the students as they passed, but her heart was just not into it. She continually looked up waiting for either Harry and Ron, or Draco to pass (though she seriously doubted that Draco would be out of the hospital wing yet.) Once the Great Hall was nearly full, Harry and Ron finally entered. Hermione looked up at them hopefully, but they walked right passed her, each wearing a frown, and neither looking at her. Hermione hung her head, and let her fork fall to her plate with a small clatter. She held her head in her hands, suddenly feeling incredibly weary from all the frustration. She didn't look up until she felt someone plop down beside her. Hermione turned her head and was unsurprised to see Ginny sitting there with a concerned look.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she began to pile food onto her plate.

"Fine," answered Hermione mechanically, not even attempting to sound convincing.

"Liar," commented Ginny, "so what's going on between you and Harry and Ron? I just went over to them and asked what happened, and they basically told me to get lost."

"Who the Hell knows," spat Hermione bitterly.

Ginny immediately stopped eating and stared at her friend. "Hermione, you never talk like that, please tell me what happened!"

Hermione let out a frustrated breath, but conceded to tell Ginny all about what happened in potions. "I just don't get it!" she finished, "why are they so pissed at me? I didn't do anything, and if Ron would just learn to control his bloody temper, then nothing would have happened in the first place."

Ginny paused for a moment before speaking; trying to decide the best was to handle this situation. "You're right; they have no right to be mad at you over this. But surely you understand why they're really angry."

"Of course I do!" Hermione snapped, "but it's been months, why can't they just get used to it!"

"You know them," reasoned Ginny, "they're stubborn."

"I don't know what to do Ginny, it's like I can't even talk to them anymore, they're always so distant, like they don't trust me anymore or something."

"That's not it Hermione, they both care for you very much, and they just think you're making a big mistake."

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes, "that just proves that they don't trust me, and they don't trust my judgment."

"It's not you that they don't trust Hermione, it's Malfoy."

Hermione let out an exasperated breath, "how many times must we go through this! He's not the same person he was!"

"I know, I know" said Ginny quickly. She didn't want to push Hermione away from her as well, but she had to try to make Hermione see what was running through the boy's heads. "Hermione, they just want you to be careful, they may hate Malfoy, but they know he's not stupid. This is how they see it; they do trust you, but Malfoy is in Slytherin, and is therefore very cunning. Plus he's smart, so they're just worried that he'll manipulate you somehow, and hurt you. They don't want to see you hurt."

Hermione had a stubborn look on her face, and everything Ginny was saying was pretty much going in one ear and out the other, which was not something that Hermione often allowed to happen when someone was talking to her. "Well if they don't want me to be hurt or upset, then the way they're handling it is not working, because now they're the ones hurting me!" Hermione ranted a bit louder than she would have liked, but she didn't care. She got up, and stormed out of the room, feeling as if all the people and voices in the Great Hall were closing in around her, and she had to escape.

Ginny sputtered in protest as Hermione stomped off, but didn't really try to stop her, she had learned when to try to talk, and when to just leave Hermione alone. She turned towards Harry and Ron, giving them a reprimanding look. She was a bit relieved to see that they both noticed Hermione's angry departure, and that there were definite traces of guilt on their faces. Ginny pushed away from the table and marched over to them. "Well?"

Ron quickly averted his eyes, while Harry continued to look at Ginny, though not meeting her eyes. "Well what," mumbled Ron.

"Did you hear what she said?" pressed Ginny.

- - - - - - - - - -

After Hermione had stormed out of the Great Hall, she went to the common room, "good evening Miss Granger," greeted Godric.

"Yeah right," muttered Hermione, "credo dans fatum." The portrait door opened and she climbed into the common room. She glanced around for Draco, though she hadn't expected him to be out of the hospital wing yet. With nothing to occupy her mind, she felt helpless, so she retreated to her room and pulled out the yearbook information. She and Draco were to be presenting the idea to the prefects the next day, and she wanted to make sure everything was set and ready to go. She sat at her desk, rereading the parchment she and Draco had created together, making notes for clarification and adding a few last minute ideas.

As usual, the work helped her forget about her daily stresses, and soon she was back to being happily excited about the upcoming project. She knew it would be a lot of work, but she pictured it turning out great, and it being something that everyone could participate with and enjoy.

After working a while, when she realized the time, she vaguely thought of visiting Draco in the hospital wing. She hadn't expected him to need to stay the night, so she was concerned. Yet something stopped her, perhaps it was the voice of her friends, and what they would say if they knew she had stopped working to visit Draco. She threw her head back in frustration wondering why it mattered to her what Harry and Ron would think. For one, they wouldn't know, and two even if they did, she could do whatever she wanted, and there was no reason she shouldn't visit her boyfriend in the hospital wing, right?

"Ugh forget it" she muttered to herself. Then, thinking that what she really needed was to be alone and truly relax, she decided to take a nice soothing bath, with lots of bubbles.

- - - - - - - - - -

By the time Madam Pomfrey allowed Draco to leave the hospital wing, he was looking as good as usual, though his face was still tender to the touch from the burns. Since he had refused the disgusting slop Madam Pomfrey called dinner, he first made his way to the Great Hall for whatever was left of the schools dinner. By the time he arrived, nearly everyone was gone, but there was still enough food left at the Slytherin table to make a decent meal. Draco was surprised to see that he was not alone at his table, besides Crabbe and Goyle, who normally ate as much as possible for as long as they were allowed, Blaise was also still there. He was sitting alone up at the very front of the table, where the first years normally sat. Draco suddenly remembered how Blaise had been trying to tell him something important earlier in the day, and now seemed like the perfect time to find out what it was.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ron and Harry were just getting up to leave the Great Hall when they saw Malfoy enter. Harry continued to get up, but Ron immediately sat back down, glaring at Malfoy, who didn't appear to even notice their presence.

"Ron," whispered Harry, desperately wanting to avoid another fight, "please let's just go, if we stay here, it will only piss you off more."

But Ron wasn't listening. He was still staring at Malfoy, unblinking, and his gaze unwavering. He didn't know what was making him stay, but he found himself unable to move.

- - - - - - - - - -

Draco sat beside Blaise, and began selecting items for his dinner before he spoke. As he buttered a roll, he glanced over and spoke nonchalantly, "what's up?"

Blaise continued looking down, shaking his head. Draco was stunned, Blaise never acted like this. His abilities at maintaining an expressionless and proud exterior were second only to Draco's. "What is it mate? Did Pansy refuse to let you break up with her or something?" Draco joked.

Blaise looked up at Draco with terror in his eyes, "I can't break up with her," he finally whispered.

Draco viewed Blaise disbelievingly, "come on, you've been trying to tell me something all day, you cannot tell me that whatever is so important has anything to do with Pansy Parkinson."

Blaise didn't respond, instead he just dropped his head.

"Are you serious?!" Draco gasped with surprise, "all of this is about _her!_ You're pathetic man."

"No! It's not just that, I can't break up with her, she'd be furious."

"So? What's your point? She's annoying as all hell, you can't enjoy dating her."

Blaise shook his head, "I don't" Blaise's voice was barely audible, "but I can't break up with her."

"Why the hell not?" demanded Draco.

"Because," Blaise continued looking down, "she'd kill me, literally."

Draco laughed, and it took him a moment to regain his composure, "Parkinson! She doesn't have the power to kill anyone."

Blaise turned to Draco, looking dead serious, and staring him directly in the eye for the first time, "She does have the power Draco, Pansy Parkinson is a Death Eater."

Draco's fork fell to his plate with a loud clatter, "What!" he shouted, momentarily forgetting that everyone would assume that he would find this to be good news and drawing the attention from the limited number of people still in the room, including Harry and Ron. Draco's head shot up, and he glared at everyone who dared to stare back. His eyes fell upon the two Gryffindors he least wanted to see when he was discussing something important, his silvery eyes darkened when he saw them, and there was a scowl on his face.

Blaise, who was apparently either filled with despair or desperation, now held his head up with his hand. He felt Draco stand up next to him and grab his robes, "come on," ordered Draco, "we're leaving."

Ron and Harry watched as Draco practically dragged Blaise out of the room, a furious look on his face. He was moving fast and determinedly. Obviously whatever they were talking about was very serious, and Draco obviously didn't want anyone to overhear.

"What was that all about?" whispered Harry curiously.

"They're up to something," answered Ron, "and I am sure as hell going to find out what it is."

Blaise was stumbling behind Draco, wondering where he was being dragged to, since it obviously wasn't the Slytherin common room, nor was it some place anywhere near the dungeons for that matter. Meanwhile Draco was thinking things over, the repercussions of what Draco had just found out, were to horrible to even think of. Suddenly, without warning Draco stopped in front of a huge portrait of the Hogwarts founders, causing Blaise to cash and stumble backwards.

"Evening Mr. Malfoy," said Godric, much more formally than he greeted Hermione.

Draco ignored him and whispered the password so that Blaise couldn't hear. He poked his head in, relieved that Hermione was not in the room, because he didn't want her asking questions. Draco quickly ushered Blaise into his room, closed the door, locked it, and just to make sure that their meeting would be kept private, he turned back to the door, pointed his wand at it, and said "colloportus." There was an odd squelching noise, and the door was sealed. "Now," Draco began, turning to Blaise, and speaking in a very businesslike manner, "what is this all about, and you better not be joking with me right now."

"I'm not," assured Blaise, "she's a Death Eater, I've seen her mark!"

Draco frowned, he had no doubt that with Pansy as his girlfriend Blaise would have seen the Dark Mark on her arm. But that wasn't what disturbed Draco the most, Draco knew full well that no Death Eater was allowed to show their mark to anyone, except the Dark Lord, and other Death Eaters. But from the way Blaise was acting, he obviously was not a Death Eater . . . not yet at least, "but if she showed you the mark, then she expects you to . . ."

Blaise hung his head and nodded, knowing exactly where Draco's thought was leading. "You know what it's like Draco, everyone expects me to! My parents, everyone in Slytherin, all my parents' friends, that's why I need your help!"

Draco furrowed his brow, "why would you come to me?" Draco feigned ignorance, "My family is the same, and even worse as yours."

"But you escaped!" pleaded Blaise. "I know you escaped, my father told me you did. He told me not to have anything to do with you because you were a traitor to the Dark Lord. That's why you've got to help me! Help me escape the same way you did."

For one of the few times in his entire life, Draco was entirely speechless, his mouth sat agape, and he had no idea what to say. He stared at Blaise, brow furrowed, and his unblinking eyes were darker and colder than steel. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he glared at Blaise accusingly, and alert. "Wait a minute, why would Pansy be initiated, and not you? That makes no sense."

"I would have been initiated already, if I was 17, but since my birthday's not til Novermber, I'm not going to be initiated until the first of the New Year. That's why you have to help me, I can't do it on my own, I'm not like you, I'm not smart enough to evade the Dark Lord. How did you do it?"

"I was lucky, there's no way you can get out the way I did," answered Draco shortly wanting nothing more than to end this conversation immediately.

"Please! You have to help me, you're the only one who understands!" cried Blaise.

"Have you told anyone else about this?"

"I can't, I don't trust anyone else, please Draco I'm desperate."

Draco clenched his jaw, and turned his head, he was relieved to know that Blaise hadn't been stupid enough to tell anyone, but Draco had enough problems of his own to worry about Blaise's problems. After a long time in which both boys remained silent, Blaise sitting on Draco's bed, and Draco occasionally pacing around the room, a strange noise that sounded like something coming unstuck pulled them from their thoughts; the colloportus charm had worn off. Draco sighed, and directed Blaise to the door, "Look, I'll try to help as much as I can, but for now, just watch yourself, and don't behave or say anything strange around any Slytherins that would give them any clue that you don't want to join, and especially watch yourself around Pansy and Snape.

"I know," nodded Blaise, "thanks mate."

A momentary look of success flashed across Blaise's face, but it was almost gone before it was even there. Draco nodded, but did not look at all pleased; he ushered Blaise out the door, and returned to his room. He locked his door behind him, changed into his pajamas, and closed the bed hangings around him. But he could not find sleep; far too many disturbing thoughts were cramming themselves into his head.

Yet one thought, the most disturbing one of all stole most of his attention at the moment. If Blaise knew he had escaped, that surely meant that all the Death Eaters knew he escaped, since Blaise's parents were not even in the inner circle of the Dark Lord's followers, at least they weren't as far as Draco was aware. And if all the Death Eaters knew, then Pansy was sure to know, otherwise she would have been bragging to Draco about being initiated before graduating Hogwarts. But if she knew he wasn't a Death Eater, why was she not saying anything? Pansy was not the type to keep something like that quiet, unless she had been ordered to by someone much more powerful than herself. Something was definitely wrong; Draco's gut instinct told him that there was a piece to the puzzle that didn't fit, something that was amiss. Something more than the fact that he was not dead yet, as the Dark Lord was more than capable of killing him on the spot whenever and wherever he pleased, so why hadn't anything happened yet? "What is going on?" Draco voiced the question that was swirling through his head into the night.

* * *

I certainly hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter. I would love to hear your thoughts in a review! :) 

_Slytherin-kittycat takes out a box of sugar quills (excellent tools for dealing with writer's block!) and prepares to hand them out to all her wonderful reviewers._


	8. Chapter 8: Arising Doubts

**Disclaimer: **Same old stuff, Harry Potter, and everyone/everything that you recognize belongs to J.K, Rowling, not me.

**A/N: **Alright, I have some good news and some bad news. First the bad, school is back in session for me, and I have a lot of time-consuming classes. I will do my best to keep the updates coming in reasonable intervals, so we'll see how it goes. Now the good news, to get back to school I had a 3 hour plane ride in which I was able to write this entire chapter (YAY)!

Anyway, a great big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 7, you guys are the best! And I'm glad everyone enjoyed their sugar quills!

_Shadow-n-the-dark_ – I'm sorry to hear that wood shop hates you so much, the class that always hates me is math, so I know how that feels. Anyway, I'm happy that you got to review again and that you liked the chapter!  
_Chantal J_ – sorry about the mistakes, I was working from a different computer cause mine was getting fixed, and it was frustrating me. So when I finally got the chapter loaded, I didn't bother to look it over and fix stuff. I'll be sure to do that in the future though! ;) Glad you liked the chapter!  
_Ginny-W13_ – Thanks for the review! And in answer to your question, you shall have to read on and see what happens!  
_Phoebe Telumetar_ – Thank you very much, I'm glad you think it's at least somewhat original so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.  
_Alcapacien_ – lol now just cause you said t it I have the twilight-zone music stuck in my head! Glad you like it!  
_Hermione Weasley192 _– wow, thanks! It's nice to hear that I'm portraying the characters reactions correctly. And no, they won't act like this forever, but for a while maybe. I hope the update came quick enough!  
_elektra30_ – YAY you updated lol nice job btw. I'm glad you like plots, cause I like writing them and I agree, Hermione and Draco without problems, would just be boring. Hope you like this chapter!  
_roundrockrules, HarryPotterFan670, fieryred20, __lhearttomfelton, __zuvalupa, Sunflower18_ – Thank you all so much! I hope you like this chapter!_  
Karma Chameleon_ – lol thank you, Hermione's fun to write about when she's angry (Draco is too for that matter). Anyway, glad you like it so far, and I hope this chapter is no different.  
_FalconWing_ – no, Harry and Ron were still in the great hall, the squelching noise is the sound that the colloportus charm makes. I 'borrowed' the description from OotP. And about your other question, you're right, you just have to wait and see. Hope you enjoy this chapter!_  
SwTnDrEaMyPnAy03_ – lol of course you get a sugar quill! Thanks for the review and I hope you continue liking the story!  
_Sirius-harry-n-remus_ – yes, going to Dumbledore, would be the most logical thing for him to do, however you are correct, that's not gonna happen. Draco's got too much pride to seek help like that. Oh well. Glad to hear you like Blaise's character, hope you like this chapter too! _  
Shuggr-holic_ – ugh midterms suck! I hope this update came fast enough, and if not, than I hope you like it anyway!  
Creshton Street – thank you :o) I'm glad you like the more serious stuff. There's gonna be more of it so I hope you like all that as well!

Alright, I'm sure everyone's tired of me talking now, so on with the story!

**

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Chapter 8: Arising Doubts**

Thursday morning Hermione awoke feeling refreshed despite what had happened the day before. The bath had really helped to relax her, and afterwards she had gone straight to bed. Today she was determined to get through the day without arguing with anyone. Plus, she was generally in a good mood because she was excited about presenting the yearbook concept to the prefects in the evening.

She wasn't sure if Draco had been released from the hospital wing the night before, so after getting ready, she knocked on his door, and softly called his name. There was no answer, so she poked her head inside and called his name again, a bit louder this time. The room was dark, as Draco always kept the curtains closed, the bathroom door was open, and the hangings around the bed were closed as well. For a second Hermione thought about opening the bed hangings, but she reminded herself of how strict Madam Pomfrey was about her patients, which convinced her that Draco was still in the hospital wing. Resolving to visit him before class, Hermione grabbed her backpack and walked down to breakfast alone.

- - - - - - - - - -

Draco had heard Hermione knock, he heard her call his name twice, and he heard her open his door. He had remained completely still and silent hoping she decided not to come in and look behind the bed hangings. He only allowed himself to breathe again once he heard her close the door. He shut his eyes tight; the pounding pain in his head was preventing him from seeing straight. He hadn't managed to get one wink of sleep all night. Every time he tried to clear his head, more thoughts, fears, questions and speculations clouded his mind, each demanding immediate attention. Of course he was paying for his lack of sleep now, in addition to his killer headache, his entire body felt as if it had been blindsided by about a dozen angry bludgers.

He groaned as he slowly sat up. He was in no mood to be anywhere around people at the moment, but all the same he was starving. His conversation with Blaise last night had left him with no chance to eat a proper dinner, and his stomach had been reprimanding him for it for hours. Draco stumbled over to his trunk and searched through it until he found was he was looking for. It was a medium sized, nondescript black jar. Draco carried it to the fireplace, unscrewed the lid and poured out a pinch of black powder. Narcissa had always made him keep a jar of floo powder with him because as she had always reminded him, _you never know when you may need it_. Draco placed the jar on the fireplace mantle so he wouldn't have to search for it again if he ever needed it. He then stepped in front of the fireplace, tossed the powder in and clearly stated "Hogwarts kitchen!" He then stuck his head in the flames, and after a dizzying feeling in which his head felt very detached from his body, he opened his eyes to see the Hogwarts kitchens. Hundreds of house elves were scrambling around, in the middle of the breakfast rush. Draco loudly cleared his throat and the nearest house elf squeaked in surprise and scurried over to the fireplace.

"Good morning sir" squeaked the house elf "is you wanting something?"

"Yes," ordered Draco harshly, "deliver a single breakfast to the heads common room immediately." Draco pulled his head out of the flames so fast that he barely even heard the house elf's response ("Yes sir! As you wish sir!")

Once his head had joined his body back in the common room Draco decided to take a shower. He took off his shirt in the bathroom and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, and cringed with disgust. His eyes were horribly bloodshot, his hair was all disheveled, and his skin was even paler than usual. The sight made him very thankful that Hermione hadn't seen him, because she no doubt would have demanded to know what was wrong with him. With that thought he stepped into the shower, and seriously thought about attempting to drown himself in the water.

- - - - - - - - - -

When Hermione entered the Great Hall, she immediately scanned the room for Harry and Ron. When she spotted them, she walked over, but did not sit down right away. She wanted to make sure that this wasn't going to be another angry confrontation between them. Harry looked up at her hopefully, with a slight grin on his face, clearly wanting things to be okay between them. Ron meanwhile was stubbornly staring at a random spot on the table in front of him, "Where's your _boyfriend_" he asked with obvious resentment.

"He's still in the hospital wing" answered Hermione coolly as she sat next to Harry.

Ron humphed, but Harry turned to Hermione with a confused look, "no he's not."

Hermione gave them a stern look and spoke very defensively when she answered, "well, he wasn't in the common room this morning, so where else would he be? Besides, whether you two believe it or not, Ron really did hurt him yesterday."

Ron let out a loud self-satisfied laugh, but Harry frowned, "Well Hermione, he's not in the hospital wing, we both saw him here last night after you left. He came in after nearly everyone was gone."

Hermione looked at Harry with mild shock and confusion, "are you serious? You're not making this up?"

"I'm completely serious Hermione," answered Harry. "He and Zabini were talking about something. Whatever it was must have really shocked Malfoy, because he practically dragged Zabini out of the room. He definitely didn't want their conversation to be overheard."

Hermione looked away in disbelief; three questions were running through her mind. 'Where was Draco? What had he and Zabini been discussing? And why hadn't he spoken to her since he had gotten out of the hospital wing?' After a long moment of silence in which Hermione thought about what was going on with Draco, and Harry viewed her warily, Hermione blinked and shook her head as if to clear away some unpleasant thoughts. "Oh," she finally said, attempting to sound cheerful, but only succeeding in sounding awkward, "well, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for where he is."

Harry nodded, but could tell that Hermione didn't even fully believe herself. What he had seen yesterday, his unease now, and the fact that Malfoy was obviously hiding something did not do anything to help relieve Harry's skepticism of Malfoy. "Hermione," said Harry calmly, "please don't take this the wrong way, but please be careful around Malfoy. I know that you care about him, but I'm feeling very uneasy about him, and I'm worried about you. None of us want to see you get hurt."

Hermione closed her eyes, a small bit of doubt was swirling in the back of her mind, but she was not about to let either Harry or Ron know that she doubted Draco at all. When she opened her eyes and spoke, everything about her tone and gaze conveyed confidence and resolve, "I know you are Harry, but trust me I'm fine. Draco's not hurting me, and I'm sure he has a perfectly good explanation for why he was not around this morning." Hermione gave Harry a reassuring smile, and he smiled back weakly.

"Bet you he's off in the Slytherin common room snogging Parkinson!" interrupted Ron loudly.

Whatever repairs Harry had made between Hermione and him and Ron, were completely lost with Ron's comment. Hermione slammed her fists on the table, causing her plate to rattle. "That's not funny Ron!" she shouted furiously, causing some curious heads to turn around them.

Ron didn't respond, he simply proceeded to angrily smash his breakfast to mush with his fork.

Hermione sat for a moment with her arms crossed over her chest, "I'm not dealing with this today," she announced. Then as she slung her bag over her shoulders and walked away, she called back "I'll see you in class Harry," which only caused Ron to ground up his food even more forcefully.

Before leaving, Hermione's head snapped over to the Slytherin table. She was relieved to see that Pansy was sitting there next to Zabini, which meant that she was not in the common room snogging with Draco. Hermione felt guilty for allowing herself to think that he would cheat on her like that, and with Pansy of all people. Still, despite her relief in knowing that wasn't what he was doing, she could no ignore the queasiness, or the extreme jealousy that Ron's comment had sparked in her. She knew that she had absolutely no reason to be jealous of a horrible thing such as Pansy Parkinson. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not erase the images from that year that had engraved themselves in her memory, the images of Pansy on top of Draco, and of them kissing in Hogsmeade still made her want to vomit.

As she passed the hospital wing on the way down to Hagrid's hut for care of magical creatures she stopped. 'Maybe Harry was wrong,' she thought hopefully. But when she looked inside, she was disappointed, but unsurprised to see that the bed Draco had been occupying was now vacant. She sighed, again feeling a slight pang of doubt in the back of her mind. It was a feeling that she desperately tried to ignore as she shuffled across the grounds to class.

- - - - - - - - - -

Once he had finished his shower and breakfast, Draco didn't feel much better, but he at least looked somewhat presentable. Certainly not his best, but at least good enough to get through the day without anyone noticing that something was wrong. He took a deep breath, as if preparing himself for some physically strenuous activity. He put on his air of arrogance, the cold impenetrable (well impenetrable to everyone but Hermione) wall that blocked off his emotions, and made him seem untouchable. He ate his breakfast, and then set out to class, successfully faking his own confident swagger even though he was anything but confident on the inside.

By the end of the day, Draco was so exhausted from keeping his cold exterior wall up and pretending to be himself that when he finally arrived in the common room, he just collapsed on the couch and lay his head back, trying to fight off the impending stress headache.

He was half asleep by the time Hermione entered. When she saw him, her first reaction was one of anger. She had been trying to catch his eye all day whenever she saw him, but his thoughts were clearly somewhere far away. Now that she was able to, she was determined to get some answers.

"So here you are," she called loudly, not caring at all that he looked completely wiped out.

Draco's eyes shot open and his head shot up in surprise. Anyone would have been able to tell that Hermione was pissed, but Draco, for the life of him, could not figure out why she was mad at him. "Good afternoon to you too," he muttered, the sarcasm and confusion in his voice was obvious.

Hermione didn't care for his tone, but she was not to be distracted. She marched over and stood above him, clearly telling him that she was in no mood for games.

This was too much for Draco. He had had enough shit to deal with without his girlfriend being angry at him for absolutely no reason. With a stubborn and determined look, he stood up. They were centimeters apart, their eyes bearing into each others like knives, but the passion that normally filled the room when they were this close together was missing completely. Instead it was replaced by an overwhelming feeling of pent up stress and frustration.

They stood like that for a few moments until Hermione finally broke the heated silence, "well?" she asked expectantly.

Draco's response was more than exasperated, "well _what?!_"

"I believe you have some explaining to do," Hermione answered shortly.

"Explain what?" Draco racked his brain for anything he could have done in the past day that would have set Hermione off like this.

"Well for starters, you can explain why you never bothered to tell me that you got out of the hospital wing yesterday so I wouldn't have been worrying about you all night, then you can explain where you were this morning," demanded Hermione.

Draco gaped at her in disbelief, "you have got to be fucking kidding me!" he shouted, "_That's_ why you're so pissed at me!" Hermione crossed her arms looking very stubborn. "Fine," continued Draco tersely, "you want explanations, here they are. After I got out of the hospital wing I went to dinner, after which I went to sleep. Then this morning I slept late and had a house elf deliver my breakfast here, satisfied?"

Not entirely," answered Hermione cheekily, "what were you talking about with Zabini last night?"

Draco's eyes widened ever so slightly. But even though the rest of him remained still, it was enough so that Hermione knew that he had never intended on telling her about his conversation with Blaise. A small bit of distrust was added to the doubt that was still swirling in the back of her mind. "What are you talking about?" Draco asked calmly. Inside he was panicking, thinking that she had somehow seen him bring Blaise into the common room without him noticing. If Hermione had not seen the slight change in Draco's eyes, she would have never suspected that he was hiding something.

Hermione pursed her lips, "Harry said that he and Ron saw you and Zabini discussing something that looked very serious last night in the Great Hall. He said it looked like you didn't want to be overheard."

Draco frowned, 'damn that bloody meddling Potter!' he thought. He had forgotten that Potter and Weasley had seen him and Blaise last night. Draco decided that the best was to avoid probing questions was to be as honest as possible without revealing specifics. "That is correct; Blaise and I were having a discussion which we wanted to keep private."

"About what?" asked Hermione. She was desperate for an answer, any answer that would allow her to fully trust Draco once more.

Draco sighed, an action which was mostly for show, but he wanted Hermione to think that he truly wanted to tell her. Plus he used the time to think of how best to handle this situation without arousing her curiosity and suspicion. When he spoke, he made an extra effort to keep his voice calm and even. "Hermione, I am sure that there are things you talk about with Potter and Weasley that you do not share with me, and I never question you about it." Hermione bit her lip which showed Draco traces of guilt, so he knew he was right. He continued, to make sure she wouldn't pry further. "What Blaise and I were talking about last night was one of those things. I just can't tell you, I'm sorry." While he was talking, Draco slid his hands over Hermione's waist. Part of him felt guilty for using seduction tactics, however small they were, to distract her, but he was ready to do whatever it took to get her thinking about something else.

Hermione lowered her eyes; she had felt guilty for not trusting him when he brought up Harry and Ron. He was right; she didn't tell him anything they discussed, so she should give him and his friends the same courtesy. Hermione lowered her head so that her forehead was leaning against his chest, and she looped her arms around him.

Draco closed his eyes and hugged her back. He was relieved for successfully managing his way around a situation that was potentially very difficult to deal with. Just as he was beginning to relax, Hermione suddenly released him and stepped back. "Well," she said quietly, "we better get going; we have a meeting with the prefects to get to."

Draco groaned, he had completely forgotten about their meeting. Reluctantly, though without a fuss, he followed Hermione out of the portrait hall and to the meeting room.

The meeting took place in the empty history of magic classroom. By the time Draco and Hermione arrived, the prefects were already assembled, ready and waiting to begin. Hermione entered first, and led the way to the front of the room. The two heads stood next to each other, Hermione looking at Draco, expecting him to begin the meeting. But Draco's migraine was back full force and it was taking all his energy just to keep his eyes open. As much as he loved being in charge of things, he just didn't have the energy to be a leader now, so he looked at Hermione, and raised his eyebrows, indicating that she was to begin.

Hermione did a double take before beginning. Draco never deferred leadership responsibilities, and though Hermione also liked being in charge, it always took her by surprise at first. She turned to the prefects, all of whom were looking at the two of them expectantly. "Right," she began, "well, let's begin with the usual business." She paused and scanned the prefects briefly, "so has anyone noticed any problems between students, either within your house, or between houses?"

Many of the prefects looked awkwardly at each other. Hermione recognized the action, it was the same thing that happened when she was a prefect and there were problems that no one wanted to be the first to mention. Hermione gave them an opportunity to begin, but when it became clear that no one was going to speak up, she decided to help out a bit. "You know, Draco and I cannot do anything to help you guys monitor the other students if no one brings up any problems at these meetings. So if there's something we should know about, tell us now."

Finally one of the fifth year Gryffindor prefects raised her hand, "yes?" asked Hermione.

"The only problem I've seen is with them," she pointed at the Slytherin prefects, who sent her scathing glares. "They abuse their privileges and use them to punish students from all the other houses for doing nothing while they let other Slytherins get away with anything!" All the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw prefects nodded in agreement while the Slytherin prefects sneered furiously.

Hermione turned to Draco, expecting him to be the one to say something, but was surprised to find that he was no longer standing next to her. Rather, he was sitting with his head in his hands behind the professor's desk, apparently exhausted and not listening at all. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to the Slytherin prefects. She took a breath to build up her confidence, "you all know that being a prefect is a privilege, and in order to maintain that privilege you must respect your duties, which includes treating all students fairly and equally."

The Slytherin's scoffed at Hermione and a particularly bold one muttered, "yeah right, you can't do anything to us you stupid mudblood." He said it very quietly, but still loud enough so that everyone heard him. Everyone, including a particular Slytherin Head Boy who had appeared to have been not listening to the meeting which was going on in front of him.

To everyone's surprise, Draco shot up and slammed his fists on the desk, there was a raging fire in his eyes, and it terrified every one of the prefects. "That is enough Thomson!" His fiery glare was directed directly at the offending Slytherin, his eyes were dark with both rage and exhaustion. "If you continue to abuse your powers, I will personally see to it that your prefect status is suspended indefinitely, and if you ever speak that way to the Head Girl again, I will make sure that that badge is revoked!"

Thomson stood up defiantly, "you don't have the power to do that!"

Draco swept out from behind the desk so quickly that it caused Thomson to take a step back. Draco didn't stop until he was a mere few inches away from him. Everyone in the room was sure that he was going to draw his wand, but no one dared to speak. They had all heard of Draco Malfoy's infamous temper, but none had ever seen him in such a rage. Draco whispered menacingly, "watch me." In one swift motion he ripped Thomson's badge off his robes causing them to tear. Then he took out his wand, turned away, threw the badge at the wall, and hit it with a spell that caused it to shatter in mid air.

Thomson watched in horror as his badge burst into thousands of tiny pieces. Draco slowly turned back to him, "I'm sorry, but this meeting if for prefects and heads only, as you are neither, you are not allowed. So you are dismissed."

Thomson looked around at the other prefects, seeking support, but they were all staring at Draco with wide-eyed fear, no one dared to speak. With no other option, Thomson left the room, still unable to believe what had just happened.

Draco calmly returned to his place behind the desk, directing his attention toward all the prefects, and looking very powerful indeed. "Let that be a lesson to everyone, I am not going to be taking any crap from any of you this year, you will not abuse your privileges, and you will show nothing but the utmost respect to both me and Hermione. Is that understood?"

Every prefect nodded quickly, none blinked. Draco considered that acceptable, so he nodded at Hermione to continue, and then resumed his position seated with his head in his hands, again looking as if he was not listening to a word.

It took Hermione a good couple of minutes to regain her composure after Draco's little scene. On the one hand, she was touched at how quickly and forcefully Draco had come to her 'rescue' and defended her so vehemently. Her heart had swelled when he yelled at Thomson, and at the moment she could not believe that all day she had doubted him and even been a bit suspicious of him. Obviously, she had no reason to worry. But still, even with the proof that he was devoted to her, the more rational part of her brain knew that Draco would be hearing from Dumbledore because of what he had done. And that part of her wished that Draco had not acted as he did because she didn't want either of them to get in trouble. She shook her concerns away, knowing that there was nothing she could do about it now, and knowing that she never would have been able to stop him anyway.

The prefects were still looking at Draco apprehensively as if afraid that he was going to lash out at them if they so much as breathed wrong. Hermione gathered her thoughts and cleared her throat, "Right, now that we're through with that, I have a new project to announce." Slowly, the prefects began turning their attention to Hermione, vaguely interested in what the new project was. "It is a lost tradition that we are going to be reviving this year, and I need everyone's complete cooperation and dedication to make it work. It will be a lot of hard work, but I think it will be more than worth it once we're finished."

Hermione continued to explain the yearbook project, she presented the ideas she and Draco had come up with, and allowed the prefects to add a few of their own. By the end of the meeting, the prefects were very eager to begin working on it. Hermione instructed them to keep it a secret until she and Draco announced it to the school. Each group of prefects had been assigned certain sections to oversee, and morale was running high. Despite the incident in the beginning of the meeting, the prefects all left in good moods, although the Slytherins were in noticeably lower spirits, and they kept shooting Draco angry looks.

With the exception of his outburst Draco had not uttered a single word throughout the entire meeting. Once everyone was gone, and Hermione was sure they were alone, she walked over to the desk and leaned on the edge, looking curiously at Draco. Once Hermione had begun talking about the yearbook, Draco really had stopped listening, and was now hovering in a state somewhere between sleep and wake. In the back of his mind, he was aware that the meeting was over, but he just didn't have the energy to open his eyes, let alone get up and go anywhere. With a bit of concern, Hermione moved behind him and massaged his shoulders a little, "hey," she whispered, "are you alright?"

Draco let out a small groan, partly to answer Hermione, but partly because the massage she was giving him relieved so much tension that he couldn't stop himself. He leaned back, but kept his eyes closed, "I'm just tired" he muttered "I didn't sleep well last night." Then, to avoid questions he added, "I was still sore from the potion burns, so I had trouble sleeping."

"Aww," said Hermione sympathetically as she leaned down to kiss his forehead lightly. "Well, why don't we go back to the common room, so you can get to sleep?"

Mustering up all his remaining strength, Draco stood up and allowed Hermione to lead him (and partially support him) back to their common room.

Once they were inside, Draco turned Hermione toward him and holding her close he kissed her deeply. "Good night."

"Night," she whispered and watched him disappear into his room.

Draco didn't even bother to change his clothes; he just collapsed on his bed and fell sound asleep almost instantly.

After Draco closed his door, Hermione returned all the yearbook materials to her desk in her room. After that, she decided to hear down to dinner. "Hey guys" she greeted when she saw Ginny, Harry, and Ron.

"Hey," they responded back.

"How was your meeting with the prefects?" Ginny asked.

"Ugh, you wouldn't believe what happened!" Hermione proceeded to tell them what Thomson had said, she couldn't help but grin at the reactions from her friends.

"You didn't let him talk to you like that did you?" cried Harry.

"I couldn't do anything to stop him," answered Hermione.

"Did Malfoy bother to say anything to him?" asked Ginny.

Hermione laughed, "Oh yes," she answered, "that's why I didn't get the chance to say anything" Hermione told them everything Draco had done to Thomson. When she finished her friends were speechless.

"Are you serious? He just blew up Thomson's badge!" Ginny said with amused astonishment.

"Yup," answered Hermione, unable to stop the proud smile that formed across her lips.

Harry rolled his eyes, obviously not enjoying the topic of conversation. Yet he wasn't about to say anything, he liked seeing Hermione in a good mood, and he didn't want to ruin that. Ron meanwhile was resolutely talking to Dean and Seamus so that he wouldn't have to listen to anymore talk about Malfoy.

"Hey, speaking of Malfoy, where is he?" asked Ginny, noticing for the first time that he had not come to the Great Hall with Hermione.

"Asleep actually, he didn't sleep well last night, and he was exhausted."

"Doubt that," muttered Ron, finally unable to ignore the conversation any longer. It was the first time he had spoken to them since Hermione arrived, and he was obviously still in a bad mood.

"Shut up Ron," warned Hermione, suddenly growing cold.

"You trust him way too much Hermione," argued Ron. "He doesn't deserve your trust, he doesn't deserve you! He probably left as soon as you were gone!"

"Ron, either you shut up now, or I'm leaving. I'm tired of arguing with you and dealing with the same shit every time I see you!"

Ron didn't respond, which was fine in Hermione's opinion, if he didn't talk, they wouldn't fight. The rest of dinner went along fine, though Ron and Hermione continued to ignore each other. In truth what bothered Hermione most was that the doubt had returned to the back of her conscience. She did her best to convince herself that she had nothing to worry about, she tried to bring back the feeling she had felt during the meeting when she had adoringly watched Draco defending her. She tried not to give into the doubt, but she couldn't help but walk a bit faster on her way back to the common room.

She hurriedly said the password and went directly to Draco's room. She was relieved to see him sprawled out on his bed, and she chuckled when she was that he was still dressed. She shook her head lovingly and quietly tiptoed over to him. She took off his shoes and his tie, she then unbuttoned his shirt so he would be a bit more comfortable. Her fingers slightly grazed his abs as she was unbuttoning his shirt, but he continued sleeping soundly. Before leaving, she ran her hands through his hair a few times and kissed his lips lightly. He shifted a bit, but remained in a deep sleep. Hermione walked to the door, and turned back to look at him. She couldn't believe that she had again doubted him for no reason; with a small smile she whispered "I love you." And then she retreated to her room for the rest of the night.

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As always I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts about it (reviews make me so happy!) :o) I think for this chapter, all my reviewers will recieve some fizzing whizbees as a thank you for reviews, cause I love hearing from you all so much! 


	9. Chapter 9: Dealing With the Slytherins

**Disclaimer: **I am not J.K. Rowling, therefore I do not own Harry Potter, I am just another obsessed fan who enjoys writing fanfics.

**A/N: **WOW! The responses to chapter 8 were awesome! I'm thrilled to hear you all liked the scene in the prefects meeting so much, cause that was my favorite part write! (Funny how the parts I enjoy writing the most are the ones you enjoy reading the most isn't it lol ) Now to thank everyone who sent me those awesome reviews:

_SwTnDrEaMyPnAy03, __jesska-14, bigred20, HarryPotterFan670, Sunflower18, __Chantal_ J – Glad to hear you all liked it! Thanks for the reviews!  
_Hermione Weasley192_ – Yay! I love long reviews :D I'm so happy to hear you're liking it so much and that it is sounding realistic. And yes, there is a direction that it is headed, I just don't like to give it away all at once, but I guarantee it gets exciting later. (But that's all I'll say about it for now) ;)  
_FallenBrokenAngel_ – lol nothing wrong with being kinda girly. I'm happy to hear that it can sound romantic even without a ton of kissing and stuff. Thanks for the review!  
_roundrockrules_ – YAY I'm so happy to hear you liked chapter 8 so much. I hope I don't disappoint you with this chapter!  
_Alcapacien _– Thanks you, and yes, Draco definitely made an impression on a lot of people with what he did, but it wasn't necessarily a good one!  
_Sirius-harry-n-remus_ – yeah Draco definitely has quite a bit going on this year. I'm glad you enjoy the twists because trust me, there are more to come!  
_lhearttomfelton_ – lol I wish I had a boyfriend to defend me like Draco did too, oh well. Anyway, glad to hear you liked it and thanks for the review!  
_elektra30_ – :o) Yay I love it when people like the tension and stuff. Hope you continue to like it!  
_Zuvalupa_ – 'brilliantly wicked' AHH I love that phrase! Hermione's doubts are somewhat involved in future chapters. They won't pull her and Draco apart, but they do cause her to question herself. And that's all I'm saying about that at the moment. :o)  
_Karma Chameleon_ – Wow, I've never made anyone explode before! I do hope you're able to put yourself together in time to read this chapter! Lol anyway, happy to hear you liked chapter 8 so much, I hope you like this one as well!  
_FalconWing_ – yeah, Hermione puts a lot of trust in what her friends say, no matter how stubborn she seems, she does take what they say about Draco seriously, so that is why she was doubting him a bit. 'bloody brilliant' another one of my favorite phrases! Happy to hear you liked the prefects scene so much!

Thanks again guys, you all rock! Now, on with chapter 9!

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**Chapter 9: Dealing With The Slytherins**

The relief and relaxation that a long night's sleep is supposed to bring never found Draco. What did find him was a series of images and sounds which, although they did not wake him, caused him to toss and turn wildly all night long. The images couldn't really be termed a nightmare because nothing was actually happening, but that didn't prevent them from terrifying Draco. All night he had seen alternating flashes of white and green light, coupled with the sound of a cold high pitched cackle.

The sound he heard in his sleep was so disturbing that Draco was actually relieved when the shrill beeping of his alarm clock jerked him awake. Immediately he shot upright and looked around wildly. His breathing was just as fast and heavy as it was after an action-packed game of quidditch, and there were beads of sweat dripping down his brow.

Draco untangled himself from his sheets, and stumbled across the room, tearing his clothes off as he went, and not even noticing that they were not his pajamas. He turned on the shower, left the water cold and finally stopped to catch his breath as the icy drops of water soaked his body. He leaned against the wall to steady himself. He was terrified because he knew exactly what the green and white lights symbolized. Green was the color of the killing curse, and the white light was as hot and painful to the eyes as the cruciatus curse was to the body, he saw it every time the curse was upon him. But what frightened him most was the cold high-pitched laughter because he knew it could only belong to one very powerful and very dark wizard.

Draco stood in the shower for at least five minutes, all the while barely registering the feeling of the water pouring down his body. He wondered if his dream had been a premonition, a vision of what was to come. If so, someone was going to be tortured, and someone was going to die. Every fiber in Draco's being told him that that someone was him.

Draco's mouth was dry, and there was a lump in his throat. He tried to swallow to get rid of it, but nothing could release the tension. He closed his eyes and lifted his head so the water was pouring directly on his face. For the first time in his life, Draco had no idea what to do, and it made him feel completely helpless.

He turned the water temperature up once he started washing. His heart was telling him to talk to someone about what he had dreamt, Hermione being his first choice. But his brain quickly vetoed the idea, informing Draco that telling her would just make her worry, which was the last thing he wanted her to do. Besides there was nothing she or anyone else could do about it anyway. His second thought was to tell Blaise, but again his brain reminded him that telling anyone would do no good, it would just spread fear. Draco finally resolved to keep his thoughts to himself as he lathered his hair with shampoo. He took some calming deep breaths as the suds rinsed down his face. He turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and examined his reflection in the mirror.

Mentally he was preparing himself for another long day of putting on a cold façade, only this time he had to make sure Hermione thought he had had a good night's rest, otherwise she would be concerned and ask questions. He used a simple drying spell on his hair, which instantly returned it to its perfect silky state. After that be began changing at the same time thinking about the day ahead.

He never would have thought that it would be so difficult to pretend to be himself, but it was. When you are feeling so unlike your usual self on the inside, it is exceedingly difficult to make it appear as if everything is normal on the outside. Yet in Draco's case, it had to be done. He could not allow anyone to suspect that something was wrong, which meant that he had to be the Slytherin Prince, he had to maintain his confident swagger, his attitude, and his seemingly emotionless exterior. He had complete confidence that he would succeed in front of the school, but in front of Hermione he was not so confident. She had a habit of seeing through him when no one else could.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Hermione opened it as she spoke, "Draco?"

"Coming," he said simply. He turned his back to her as he picked up his backpack. He closed his eyes and gave himself a quick mental pep-talk. When he turned back around, he was smiling, and had every appearance of his usual self.

Hermione's smile widened, "you slept so long! Are you feeling better today?"

"Much," Draco lied as he walked over and greeted her with a kiss.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it," smiled Hermione after the kiss.

-

Once he was seated at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, Draco found it surprisingly difficult to restrain himself from glancing at Pansy. For once he wanted to know what she was thinking. Her behavior just wasn't making sense. For the most part, he kept his eyes down, but about halfway through breakfast he unconsciously looked up, and directly into her eyes, she had been watching him. The moment their eyes locked a seductive smile crossed her lips, it was the same smile she had always used to try to get Draco to pay attention to her. Draco did his best to keep his face expressionless, he wanted to look away, but there was a strange glint in Pansy's eyes that he had never seen before.

Just as Draco was beginning to speculate what could possibly be going through her head, the stiff sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted his thoughts. Draco turned to the source of the noise and found himself looking up at professor Snape, whose cold black eyes were staring directly at Draco. "Mr. Malfoy" he began quietly "if you would be so kind as to follow me, the headmaster would like a word."

"Of course professor," answered Draco formally.

Snape nodded and led the way up to the professors table where Dumbledore was seated.

As soon as Draco left, the Slytherins all started whispering, wondering why Dumbledore would want to speak with him. Like wildfire, the story of what he had done at the prefects meeting spread, and the Slytherins were outraged at what they heard.

Over at the Gryffindor table, Ron was looking towards the professor table so that he didn't have to look at Hermione. He was still annoyed with her, and the fact that she had come to breakfast with Malfoy hadn't helped his mood any. However, when he saw Malfoy being led up to professor Dumbledore like a criminal being led to the gallows he brightened up a bit. He chuckled under his breath.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Harry.

Ron continued looking at the professors table, but Harry could tell he was smiling. "Looks like Malfoy's in trouble with Dumbledore" Ron said with delight.

"What?" Hermione asked concernedly. She and Ginny (who had been discussing Ginny's new Ravenclaw boyfriend) glanced up. "I hope Dumbledore's not punishing for what he did at the prefects meeting."

"I bet he's gonna take away his Head Boy status!" cried Ron with glee. "Then maybe Dumbledore will make you Head Boy Harry!"

Hermione scoffed, "I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't do that!" She bit her lip, "maybe I should go talk to them too, I'd hate for him to be punished when he didn't do anything wrong."

"No!" cried Ron indignantly, he was enjoying the thought of seeing Malfoy in trouble.

Hermione pursed her lips so that she looked astonishingly like professor McGonagall, and glared at Ron.

"Come on Hermione, I'm sure Dumbledore won't punish him. Besides, you don't even know if that's what they're talking about," reasoned Ginny.

Hermione did not look at all convinced, and she continued to stare at the table looking as if she was ready to jump out of her seat at any moment.

Up at the professors table, Draco was looking at Dumbledore with his usual bored expression, complete with his famous smirk.

"Mr. Malfoy," began Dumbledore calmly "I have been informed that last night you took it upon yourself to blow up Mr. Thomson's prefect's badge?"

"That is correct," replied Draco with his usual lazy drawl.

"You understand of course that it is not your responsibility nor is it in your power to take away a students prefect status," lectured Dumbledore lightly.

"Under normal circumstances of course, however last night was a special circumstance. I feel that Thomson's behavior completely justified my actions," stated Draco, completely maintaining his cool.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, "please, do explain."

Draco lazily told Dumbledore about Thomson's abuse of his powers, and about what he had said to Hermione. Once Draco had finished talking, Dumbledore paused to think a moment. He looked at Draco as though seeing his thoughts rather than his expression, it unnerved Draco a bit, but he did not show it. "Well Mr. Malfoy, if this sort of behavior occurs in the future, then you may remove the student from the meeting, you may speak to the individuals Head of House about suspending or revoking their prefects status, however you may _not_ blow up their badges, is that understood?" Dumbledore smiled slightly, he never thought he would see the day when a Malfoy acted against a Slytherin in defense of a Gryffindor muggle-born, and he certainly wasn't about to do anything to discourage that sort of behavior. "For the time being, Mr. Thomson's prefect privileges have been suspended until December. After which, if he makes any more mistakes, he will loose his position."

"Very well professor," drawled Draco.

He turned to leave, but was stopped when Dumbledore spoke again. "One more thing Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Thomson also mentioned that you were most unlike yourself at the meeting last night. Is there anything bothering you? Anything you wish to discuss?"

Again Dumbledore looked as if he were seeing straight into Draco's thoughts. Draco's eyes narrowed and remained dark. He kept himself completely closed off and refused to think about what had been occupying his mind lately. He didn't like Dumbledore attempting to see through him, and he wasn't afraid to let it show. Draco smirked even more, "not at all professor, I was just allowing Hermione to lead that meeting, if that disturbs people so much I will be sure to never let it happen again."

Dumbledore closed his eyes and momentarily looked down as if disappointed about something. "Of course, well then, off you go."

Draco nodded curtly at professor Dumbledore, then swept around and returned to his seat. He frowned at the looks his housemates were giving him, "what are you all looking at?" he demanded.

"We've all just heard a very interesting rumor Draco," answered Pansy, her voice laden with disgust.

"Oh really?" answered Draco with mock interest.

Pansy sneered, "you know Draco, I seem to remember a time when you thrived on taunting mudbloods. But that was back when you had pride for who you are." The other Slytherins were listening to her, and many nodded in agreement.

Draco's temper quickly escalated, "Those times are over Parkinson, and for your information, I have never been more proud of who I am that I am now." Perhaps if his better judgment had not been impaired by his temper, he would have held his tongue, so much for acting like himself.

Pansy leaned across the table so the her face was inches away from Draco's, "You better watch yourself Draco," she whispered menacingly, "we wouldn't want you to do anything stupid." She pushed herself away from the table, "come on Blaise, we're leaving." And then she stalked off towards the door. The Slytherins who had been listening watched her go, and then turned to give Draco angry glares.

Blaise started to rise, and whispered as he did so, "Draco, what the Hell are you thinking?" his voice was panicked.

"BLAISE!" shrieked Pansy once she had reached the door.

Blaise stumbled away from the table and hurried towards Pansy.

Draco shut his eyes and mentally kicked himself for letting his temper get the better of him. He knew it was a bad idea to give Pansy another reason to be angry with him, but the mere sight of her was enough to make his blood boil.

Pansy's shout had caused half of the Great Hall to jump in surprise. Luckily, most of the students looked at her and then went back about their business. However, there were two faces in particular that did not. Professor Dumbledore had been eying the three Slytherin's curiously ever since Draco had returned to the table. He could sense that there was something big going on, however Draco was obviously not going to talk about it. And unfortunately, it seemed as if all the years of Lucius' training in blocking one's mind had paid off, because although Dumbledore had tried, he could not see past Draco's wall and into his thoughts.

The other head that turned toward Draco was of course Hermione's. She was a little unnerved at Draco's expression. She had a pretty good feeling of what the discussion had been about, but what she didn't understand was why Draco appeared so bothered by it. Hermione continued thinking about it until Ginny's worried voice led her away from her thoughts. "I don't know Hermione; maybe what Malfoy did at the meeting wasn't such a good idea."

"Why not?" asked Hermione, finally turning towards Ginny.

"Did you see the looks his housemates are giving him?" reasoned Ginny.

"He's not the only one getting dirty looks," added Harry with more than a touch of concern in his tone, "you better watch yourself Hermione."

Hermione gave Harry a confused look and turned back towards the Slytherin table. Sure enough, she found several pairs of eyes glaring furiously at her. Unconsciously, she gulped as she returned her attention to her friends. She was startled by the booming bell announcing the start of the day. Hermione's first class was arithmancy, but as she stood up to leave, some Slytherins pushed past, purposely shoving into her. One rammed her so hard that she was knocked back down into her seat. Harry and Ron saw this and immediately stepped in front of her, looking like two menacing guard dogs. The Slytherins sneered at them, and then looked past them at Hermione. "You better watch yourself and stay out of our way, unless you want to be seriously injured."

"And unless you want to be 'seriously injured' I suggest you stay out of her way," Draco had witnessed the scene and arrived behind the other Slytherins.

They jumped around, their surprised faces quickly turning into defiant looks, "That just proves that you've lost all your house pride Malfoy!" argued one Slytherin.

"Ha, no one has more pride in being a Slytherin than me, what I do not have pride in is housemates that attempt to undermine my authority. Now, get out of here."

The Slytherins brushed past Draco, still not looking very pleased, but they were not brave enough to argue, and Hermione at least was able to breathe again. "Thanks guys" she said to Harry and Ron.

"Do you want us to walk with you to class?" asked Ron, eying Draco suspiciously.

"No, it's alright, I'll be fine," assured Hermione, "plus I don't want you two to be late to divination."

Harry sighed, "alright, just watch out, I don't trust them." Harry stared directly into Draco's eyes when he said the last part. Draco stared right back at him, his eyes dark and narrowed. Harry and Ron then left the Great Hall, leaving Draco and Hermione alone.

Hermione picked up her bag and the two began walking to class. Draco could tell that Hermione was thinking hard, and her head was down. "Sorry about my housemates," he muttered.

Hermione shook her head, "don't be, I'm used to it by now," she answered sadly. "What did professor Dumbledore say to you? He didn't punish you did he?"

"Of course not, he just told me not to do it again," said Draco with a wave of his hand. He looked down at Hermione, "hey, cheer up, everything fine."

Hermione closed her eyes, "how can you say that, your housemates aren't just mad at me, they're mad at you now too! I can't live with all of them acting like they did just now!"

"Relax, I'll take care of it," answered Draco, "they're just pissed because I lost my temper with Pansy this morning. But don't worry, I'll go to the common room tonight and straighten them out."

Hermione's stomach wrenched at the mention of Pansy, but she chose to ignore the feeling. "Oh Draco, don't hex any of them, then you really would get in trouble!" she pleaded, looking nervous.

Draco laughed, "As much fun as that would be, I was never planning on hexing any of them. Trust me; after tonight they won't be bothering you any more than they bother anyone else."

"If you say so," said Hermione skeptically as they arrived at the arithmancy class.

-

The rest of Hermione's day was horrible; it seemed as if the Slytherins were all trying to make her life miserable. With every step she took she had Slytherins there knocking into her, attempting to trip her, muttering under their breath. And in the classes she had without Draco, every time she raised her hand to answer a question they would hiss at her and call her things like 'know-it-all' and 'show-off' under their breath. While the teachers would take points away when they heard the taunts, it didn't help to cheer Hermione up much, and by the end of the day, she wasn't raising her hand anymore. Harry and Ron attempted to cheer her up, but nothing they said or did helped much.

At the end of the day, Hermione slumped into the common room and dropped her bag on the floor. She fell back onto the couch, and let out a loud frustrated breath.

From inside his room, Draco heard her, "Hermione? You alright?" he called.

"I'm fine," lied Hermione.

"You don't look fine," said Draco as he looked at her from his doorway, "what happened?"

"Let's just say that everyone in your house is an insufferable arse" answered Hermione bitterly.

"_Everyone?"_ asked Draco with raised eyebrows, as he made his way over next to her.

"Yes, _everyone_ you have been known to be an insufferable arse yourself in case you've forgotten."

"Me? Never!" said Draco with mock surprise.

"Ha!" laughed Hermione.

Draco shrugged, "if you say so, but just remember, that means that you're dating an insufferable arse."

Hermione opened her eyes, "shut up," but there was a bit of amusement in her voice and a tiny smile on her face. "On the positive side, they lost about fifty of points today for making comment about me in class."

"Speaking of my housemates," began Draco, "I'm going down to the common room to straighten them out, I'm not sure how long it will take though, so I may not be back here until after dinner. But I'll make sure they leave you alone."

"Just as long as you don't get hexed down there," said Hermione with a trace of worry in her voice. Then she added, "why don't you take the flyer announcing the yearbook with you to put on the announcement board, and I'll deliver them to the other houses."

"Will do," Draco walked over to the desk and picked up one of the flyers Hermione had made, "looks good," he commented.

"Thanks, I'll see you later," muttered Hermione.

"I love you, and try to cheer up, I hate seeing you upset," said Draco as he opened the portrait door to leave.

"I love you too," called Hermione.

Draco walked swiftly through the halls down to the dungeons where the Slytherin common room was located. Once he reached it, he said the password and stepped inside. All the Slytherins who were there at the time immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at him with looks of outrage on their faces. This was the first time Draco had bothered to come by the common room since school started, and at the moment no one really wanted him there.

He stalked over to the announcement board and put up the yearbook flyer. He then turned to his housemates with a cold expression on his face. The Slytherins were glaring at him, after a moment, Pansy, who was secluded in a corner with Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle spoke up. Her tone was dripping with sarcastic venom, "Draco, how nice of you to stop by, we were beginning to think you'd transferred to Gryffindor with your mudblood girlfriend!" The other Slytherins began murmuring to each other.

Draco sneered, "that is enough Pansy." Inside he was dying to take out his wand and give her a good hex for daring to say that he could possibly be a Gryffindor and for insulting Hermione, but he didn't. Right now he needed to be the old Draco Malfoy, the one his housemates idolized and respected. "Now everyone shut up and listen."

The Slytherins stopped talking, but shot Draco resentful looks. Draco slowly scanned the room making sure he had everyone's attention. Once all eyes were on him, he began, "I am disgusted with you all!" His voice was loud and authoritative, but his words caused more furious glares to come his way. "You all must be brain-dead. Have you any idea how many points you idiots lost for Slytherin today with your pathetic taunts. At the rate you lot were going at today, you're going to practically give the house cup to the Gryffindors!" The Slytherins started looking at each other, clearly feeling dumb for their actions.

"I was furious with your behavior in the Great Hall this morning, I swear, if any of you would use your brains it would be a miracle."

"You're the only one who hasn't been using his brains Draco!" argued Pansy, "imagine, defending a mudblood and turning on one of your own!"

The Slytherins nodded in agreement with Pansy, and eagerly turned back towards Draco to see what his response would be.

Draco rolled his eyes, he had already prepared an explanation for his actions over the course of the day, "think about it Pansy, if I had allowed Thomson to continue acting as he so stupidly was, Herm . . . Granger would have told her two body guards about it, and Dumbledore would inevitably find out about it. Then my Head Boy status would be jeopardized because I hadn't done anything to tame my housemates." Draco had almost said Hermione, but he quickly called her Granger instead. He felt it would be best not to use her first name in the presence of his housemates, that way they wouldn't be reminded of how close he was to her. He paused to take a breath then went on with his well rehearsed rant, "You know how the old coot favors Gryffindors, I'm sure he would love a reason to suspend my Head Boy status. Or even worse, take it away and give the position to Potter. Do you idiots really want two Gryffindors with all the power?"

The Slytherins were giving Draco skeptical and confused looks as though they didn't fully believe him, "Don't you guys get it!" shouted Draco, "It's all an act! I have to 'discipline' all students who do not follow the schools rules, which include respecting and obeying the Head Boy _and_ Girl. I have act like an authority figure, but you guys have to understand that it's an act. I don't care what you guys say about the other students in the school as long as you don't say it around anyone who's not a Slytherin. If you do, I will have to act, so if you don't want me to punish you, then don't act like idiots anymore!"

The Slytherins were gazing at Draco with newfound respect, each were thinking similar thoughts. He hadn't betrayed them at all; he was just smart enough to know how to pretend like he cared when he needed to, and he was cunning enough to make everyone believe him. "So, you really don't care what we say about Granger or anyone else as long as we only say it around the other Slytherins?" asked Thomson sounding stunned.

"Of course not, you didn't see me say anything to Pansy when she called Her . . .Granger a mudblood a few minutes ago did you?" Draco almost slipped by saying Hermione again, but luckily he stopped himself.

Draco could see the looks of understanding dawning on his housemates faces. Yet, one face alone stood out against the rest, one face continued to look skeptical, it was not entirely disbelieving, but it wasn't as trustworthy as the rest. That face belonged to Pansy Parkinson. For the second time that day, Draco locked eyes with Pansy. Even from across the room he could again see that mysterious glint in her eye. Part of him was dying to know what she was thinking, but the other part knew that he really didn't want to know. As the rest of the Slytherins went back about their business, Pansy called to him, "So Draco, are you now that you've redeemed yourself with these pathetic idiots are going to leave to go spend time with your _precious_ mudblood?"

Draco clenched his teeth and fought hard against the anger that was swirling inside him hearing Pansy reference Hermione like that. But instead of lashing out, he put on his infamous smirk and swaggered over to the corner where Pansy was sitting with the others, "actually no, I was planning on spending time here with you tonight. Unless of course, you'd all rather I leave."

For a brief moment, Pansy's face lit up like it always used to when she thought she had a chance of being with Draco. Then the realization that he meant spending time with all of them and not just her hit, and the excitement quickly faded. Draco noticed the look, and was completely astounded that she could still want him. With the fact that she was dating Blaise, all the crap she gave him and the fact that she was a Death Eater he figured that she would be over him by now, but apparently he was wrong. 'Perhaps' he thought, 'that was why nothing had happened to me yet. If Pansy still likes me then she wouldn't really want to hurt me.'

Blaise also saw the excitement pass through Pansy's eyes, and a look of resentment and disgust crossed his face. Obviously, he was not happy to see that his girlfriend was still mooning over another guy, especially one whom she was supposed to hate and had no chance with anyway. Draco never saw the look of disgust Blaise threw him, but if he had, perhaps it would have caused him to wonder, 'why would a guy who wanted nothing to do with the Dark Lord be jealous that his Death Eater girlfriend wanted someone else?' But Draco never saw Blaise looking at him, so the thought never crossed his mind.

-

While Draco was occupied in the Slytherin common room, Hermione hung up the yearbook flyers in the other house common rooms. She did Gryffindor last, then stayed and hung out with everyone. Since it was Friday, no one was working on homework; everyone was talking ot playing games such as exploding snap or gobstones.

Hermione sat and watched Ron murdering Harry in wizards' chess, she shook her head wondering why Harry even bothered to play against Ron. In the seven years they had been playing against on another, Harry had never even come close to winning.

When Ron finally ended Harry's misery by winning the game the two boys turned to talk to Hermione, but she appeared to be deep in thought. "Hey, whatcha thinking about?" asked Harry.

Hermione looked at him and tried to suppress a slight blush. She had been thinking about Draco, her mind racing with the worst possibility of things that could be going on in the Slytherin common room. She had no idea how he planned to 'straighten them out' but she did not think it was possible no matter what he did. She opened her mouth to make up something, but her friends knew her too well, and they both sensed the hesitation.

"Merlin Hermione!" cried Ron "You're getting worse than Parvati and Lavender!"

"I am not!" argued Hermione, blushing even more. "It's just that he's dealing with his housemates, and I'm afraid that they're gonna hex him or something."

"That would be nice," muttered Ron.

Hermione closed her eyes, willing herself not to get angry, she hated being angry with her friends, and perhaps she did think a little too much about Draco when she was with them. "I'm sorry guys, look let's talk about something else."

But Harry and Ron were both giving her stern looks. She desperately racked her brain for a new topic of conversation, until finally she found one. "So, when does quidditch season start?" Normally she hated quidditch conversations, however at the moment anything that would loosen things up between them was a good thing.

"Practices start in a couple weeks" answered Harry.

Amazingly enough, the three friends discussed quidditch (well Harry and Ron discussed, Hermione just listened and nodded when it was appropriate) until dinnertime. For a while it seemed as if things were completely back to normal between them. Back to when they told each other everything and were always together. They were all smiling and relaxed, but that was until the Slytherins entered. Hermione quickly tensed when she saw them. She was expecting rude taunts and glares from the entire house, but to her complete astonishment, not one even looked her way.

Hermione was looking at the door when Draco entered. For the first time in a long time, he was with his old Slytherin gang. Hermione did not know how she felt about that. She was definitely not too happy that Pansy seemed to be warming up to Draco again. A bit of jealousy began to well up inside Hermione; however it quickly subsided when Draco looked at her and gave her a quick smile and a wink.

Hermione had no idea what Draco did or said to his housemates to get them to behave. At first she didn't know what to think. But as her attention returned to her friends, she found that she didn't need to think about it. Whatever he had said or done, obviously worked, so she wasn't going to think about it. Instead, she smiled because for the first time all day she was truly able to relax and she enjoyed every minute of it.

-

Hundreds of miles away in a cold dark dusty room, the Lord Voldemort stood waiting. He was wearing a long black cloak with the hood covering his face. His sharp ears heard a door open behind him and heard the quiet footsteps of the Death Eater he was expecting. He turned to face his servant, who was also hidden underneath a black hooded cloak. The Death Eater bowed deeply before beginning.

"Master, I have found an appropriate location. It will perfectly suit our needs, it is out of the way and I can assure you that we will not be disturbed while we are using it." Lucius approached his Master slowly; there was excitement in his voice.

"Excellent Lucius," replied the Dark Lord, a cruel smile upon his hidden face. "Now we must wait until the time is right, I shall check up on my servant soon to assure that everything is going according to plan."

"I eagerly await it my Lord," answered Lucius with a bow.

"Yes, the time is slowly approaching, but for now, we wait."

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I hope everyone enjoyed chapter 9, as always I would love to hear your thoughts in a review. And I will do my best to update as fast as possible! 


	10. Chapter 10: Hogsmeade

**Disclaimer: **Same old stuff, I'm not J.K. Rowling so I do not own Harry Potter. I am simply another obsessed HP fan who happens to enjoy writing about situations that will never happen in the actual books.

**A/N: **I'm sorry for taking so long to update, but school has been more busy than usual lately. I was also having a problem with writers block, so OI started writing another fic. I'm not going to post it for a while, but interestingly enough, writing that, totally helped cure my writers block for this chapter of this fic. Weird how that works out, huh? So yeah, so anyone who maybe have writers block troubles, when nothing else works, try writing something else, it helps to clear your mind.

Now, as always, thank you to all my awesome reviewers! You guys never cease to brighten my day!

_jesska-14, roundrockrules, Sirius-harry-n-remus, __lhearttomfelton, SwTnDrEaMyPnAy03, Me, Chantal J, __zuvalupa,_ – You guys rock! Thanks for the reviews!  
_FallenBrokenAngel _– no you're right he was being a bit two-faced, but he wasn't doing it to hurt her, he was doing it to help her. While it may not have been the noblest way of helping her, it was certainly the way a Slytherin would behave! Thanks for the review!

_Alcapacien _– what happens in the common room stays in the common room. Ok, maybe not entirely, but as far as I can tell at the moment, Hermione is never going to find out what Draco told his housemates. And yes he did do it go gain their trust again. Good question . . . what is up with Blaise? ;o)  
_Calgal_ – Wow, you really think so? Thank you so much!  
_elektra30_ – lol I definitely love long reviews, and your review certainly made my day! I'm so glad you think that I've portrayed all the characters emotions accurately, and I'm glad you liked the ending. I know a lot of people get a little impatient with endings like that, but I think they add some suspense. By the way, you're doing a great job on your fic!  
_FalconWing_ – lol I love your analogy about the wind up toy cars! Hermione certainly would not be happy, which is why Draco is most likely not going tell her. Mainly, I used that scene to reveal certain things about certain Slytherins (one of whom you guessed, however I do not want to tell everyone else who it is) But one of the things I wanted to remind everyone is that Draco is a Slytherin, and he is still cunning and deceptive, even though he loves Hermione, it doesn't completely change who he is.

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**Chapter 10: Hogsmeade**

For about a week after the prefects meeting, Hermione repeatedly considered asking Draco how he had managed to stifle his housemates. She didn't fail to notice that the few times she had asked him, he had side-stepped the question by saying something such as, "they're all brainless idiots anyway," waving his hand as if it were nothing. Quite a few times she had come close to pressing the issue, but in the end, she had always come to the same conclusion. If Draco didn't want to tell her, then she probably didn't want to know anyway. The thought made her a tad uncomfortable, but perhaps this time, the ends justified the means, whatever those means happened to be. After a week, she stopped asking altogether, though the question still crossed her mind whenever she passed a gang of Slytherins and got only scathing glares instead of taunts and shoves. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the change, it's just that it happened so suddenly she still needed to get used to it.

Besides, she has plenty of other things to worry about. On top of her heads duties and her homework, the yearbook was beginning to get going as well. In response to the flyers she had made, the students began sending her and Draco dozens of owls. Most people sent in pictures of themselves and their friends, some students offered to help, and a few anonymous people informed Hermione rather rudely of what a stupid idea they thought the yearbook was. Draco thoroughly enjoyed reading those letters, Hermione scoffed at them and attempted to destroy them before Draco saw them.

Things also began to lighten up between Hermione and her friends. This was mostly because quidditch season was approaching and Harry and Ron's free time was spent practicing or devising new plays, leaving them with little time to be angry at Hermione for anything, which made her rather happy. The downside of quidditch season however meant that Draco's free time was also being filled with quidditch practices. That meant that unless they were working on heads duties or homework, he and Hermione rarely got to spend a minute alone together. Needless to say, their lack of free time together was putting an increasing strain on their relationship. In fact, time to relax was so rare, that even Hermione, queen of schoolwork was eagerly anticipating the first Hogsmeade weekend. By the time the Saturday arrived, the entire seventh year class seemed ready to explode from the amount of stress they were under.

Much to Ron's displeasure, Hermione and Draco planned on spending the entire day in Hogsmeade together, although they did agree that the best idea would be to stay away from the more popular areas of the town in order to avoid conflicts. Ron had tried to talk Hermione into hanging out with them in Hogsmeade, but Ginny silenced him by stamping down hard on his foot. She didn't even bother to be inconspicuous about it, which had caused Hermione to laugh, and Ron to limp away muttering angrily at his little sister.

The day of the Hogsmeade trip, everyone awoke in high spirits. Hermione and Draco were among the last to leave, mostly because Draco slept late, recovering from Friday evenings strenuous quidditch practice. But Hermione didn't mind leaving after the rest of the students because it meant that they could be alone on the walk down and she wouldn't have to be concerned about the other students watching them together. Once Draco had finally gotten out of bed and the pair was in Hogsmeade, they bypassed Zonko's, Honeydukes, Three Broomsticks, and all the other usual stores where their classmates were happily shopping and relaxing. They were off to an area of Hogsmeade that Hermione had read about, which was supposedly much less frequented, but just as charming as the more well known area of the town.

Their journey led them passed the road that led to the Hog's Head; Draco couldn't help but look down towards the pub. He felt a definite wrench in his stomach as he recalled his last visit there. Hermione instantly noticed the tense cold wave that had enshrouded Draco, and she curiously followed his gaze. Once she realized what had caused the abrupt change in her boyfriend, she squeezed his hand and looked up at him sympathetically. Draco turned his head in response, and seemed to relax again once his eyes met Hermione's. He smiled slightly, let go of her hand, and wrapped his arm around her waist, then he leaned over and kissed her lightly on the head.

After walking through what was apparently a residential section of the town, they finally reached a quaint little street filled with shops and a couple small restaurants. As it was already past noon, they first stopped at a deli for some sandwiches. After that, they decided to browse around a bit. They had been meandering by the shops for about 5 minutes when suddenly Hermione squealed with excitement. Draco was startled, and didn't even have time to ask what had happened before he was being dragged inside one of the shops. Once inside, Hermione released Draco's hand and went searching through the shelves. Draco just stood in the doorway looking around. The shop was filled with shelves and shelves of, what else but, books. 'Of course' he thought to himself with an amused roll of the eyes, 'a bookshop, what else would get her so excited?' Hermione was already lost amongst the shelves by the time Draco finished his thought. He slowly walked towards the back of the shop; he was looking for Hermione, but was in no rush to make her leave, he liked seeing the excitement in her eyes that he glimpsed when she had been dragging him inside.

Upon closer look Draco figured that this must be an antique bookshop, because all of the books were old and dusty, the names on most were faded. Usually when he saw books like that he would have thought they contained dark magic, or obsolete spells, however, he didn't get the sense that these were spell books at all. He didn't feel the sense of magical energy emanating from them like he felt from magical books, such as the spell books in the library. He was about to pull out one of the books when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he got the feeling that someone was watching him. Sure enough, he turned around to find who he could only guess to be the shopkeeper, eyeing him from behind a counter. The shopkeeper was a very old woman, but one who still looked full of life, she smiled when Draco turned around, "can I help you with anything dear?"

Draco took his hand off the book and strode over to the counter, "actually yes, what kind of books are these?"

"Oh there are several types of books here dear; most of them are antique works of fiction," she answered with a smile.

Draco nodded in thought, so he had been right, these weren't spell books. Draco turned back to the old woman, "you didn't by any chance happen to see which way the young lady I came in here with went did you?"

The old woman let out a genial laugh, "I believe she went back that way," she pointed towards the very back of the shop.

Draco nodded again, "thank you very much."

"Of course dear, if either of you need any help, don't be afraid to ask."

Draco turned and quietly made his way to the back of the shop. When he finally found Hermione, she was nestled on a large pouf in a small reading corner next to a window which was spilling sunlight into the shop. She had a massive volume opened up before her, and she was intently reading with a small smile on her lips. Draco watched her for a few moments, when it became clear to him that she had no clue he was there, he stepped forward and settled himself next to her. She snuggled up next to him, a bigger smile on her face, but she did not stop reading.

Draco leaned his head next to hers, and eyed the book, skimming through the words. It was a moment before he realized that he knew the story she was reading. It was a story he had heard several times when he was young. It was one on many stories that just about all pure-blooded children were told, much like muggle nursery rhymes, or fantasy stories.

As Hermione read, Draco recalled the times he had heard stories such as this. From what he could remember, at first he had enjoyed hearing such stories, imagining that life could really end with a 'happily ever after'. However, as time went on, and he began to grow older, Lucius' teachings began to turn Draco cold. Eventually he had stopped believing in the stories at all. Through Lucius, Draco had learned that there was no such thing as love, that power was all that mattered, and that is did no good to believe in foolish fantasies. And for the majority of his life, Draco had blindly accepted what Lucius taught him. It hadn't been until last year when he and Hermione started dating that he again learned to believe in the fantasy of the stories again, for she had shown him that love was more than some foolish fantasy.

After a while, Draco grew tired of silently sitting, after all he hadn't come all the way here just to sit and watch Hermione read all day. He could do that any day he wanted at school. He shifted on the pouf and broke the silence, "this was one of my favorite stories when I was younger."

Hermione finally turned her attention to him, "you know this story?" she asked with mild surprise.

"Mmhmm," Draco answered, "Mother used to tell it to me before I was old enough to read."

"Really? This doesn't seem like your kind of story," replied Hermione skeptically.

Draco chuckled. It was true, the beginning wasn't much to Draco's taste, he preferred the perilous adventures that came later in the story, "that's because you haven't gotten to the good part yet. I usually made Mother skip ahead to the parts I liked."

"Do you think you remember it well enough to tell it to me?" Hermione closed the book, and rested her head on Draco's chest.

Dracvo shifted on the pouf, and lifted Hermione a bit so that she was lying across him, his arms wrapped around her waist. Draco took a deep breath and opened his mouth to tell the story, when he suddenly realized that perhaps he didn't remember it as well as he thought. In his mind he knew the story perfectly; however knowing a story yourself is very different than being able to tell it to someone who had never heard it. Still, he'd do his best to at least get the general ideas across. Hermione relaxed in his arms, and beamed at him, with an excided twinkle in her eye.

"Well, let me think," he began. "You already read about the young wizard, Ramon's miserable life."

"Right, he's not allowed to make any decisions for himself, and he's being forced to become a farmer like his father," added Hermione. "So what happens next?"

"Well, one night, a group of thieves invade his village; they charge into the village riding on thestrals, they plunder everyone's homes and kidnap the village chiefs' daughter. The chief offers a reward to anyone who is able to find her and return her safely to her home. Ramon sees this as his chance, so that night he sneaks away, out into the woods, armed with only his wand. He picks up the trail left behind by the thieves, and traveled all night in search of their hideaway. It took him days, and along the way he had several small setbacks, but the exciting part comes when he finally arrives as the abandoned castle where the thieves are. He stalks up towards the entrance, but before he can find a way in, something sneaks up behind him."

"What is it?" whispered Hermione.

"A wyvern, it approaches him from behind, half stalking half slithering, its fiery red eyes blazing, ready to kill. Ramon throws every defensive curse he can think of at the wyvern, but its skin is too tough. The wyvern lunges at him, jaws snapping, eager for the taste of meat." Draco proceeded to give Hermione a detailed blow by blow account of Ramon's fight with the wyvern. Hermione couldn't help but smile with amusement, it was clear that this was one of the parts of the story Draco enjoyed.

"So he managed to lead the wyvern to the gorge, it charged at him, but even with his injuries, he was too quick for it, it went hurtling over the edge. Ramon knew he didn't have much time to get into the castle. The wyvern would fall for a while, but it had dragon wings, and would soon be flying back up, and raging mad. Ramon scrambled across the grounds, wincing in pain from the burn on his back; he could already hear the wyverns' wings beating up and down, coming towards him. He wrenched open the castle door and slammed it behind him with an echoing bang." Draco paused to take a breath.

"So what happens next?" asked Hermione eagerly.

Draco smiled deviously, "I think we will have to continue this story at another time."

"Oh, but why?" pleaded Hermione

"Because it's a long story, and this is a good stopping point, plus, believe it or not, we've got to be heading back to school if we want to make it in time for dinner."

"Already? Aww," moaned Hermione. She hated having a good story interrupted. She had always loved fantasy stories when she was little. Of course, that was back when she had thought that magic itself was a fantasy, but even now, she loved muggle fairy tales. Amazingly enough, in all her reading, she had never come across wizarding fantasy stories. She had always stuck to reading school books, and informative books. In fact, that was the reason that she had chosen that book in the first place. It was one of the few she had seen that had a partially legible title. She could not read the main title because it was too faded, but underneath, it said _A Collection of_ _Classic Tales._ Her curiosity was aroused, and she pulled the book down to skim through it. As soon as she began reading, she could not stop, she hadn't meant to get lost in the book, because the stories were long, and she knew the book was much too expensive for her to be able to afford, but she couldn't stop reading, she was hooked.

She returned the book to its place on the shelf, and followed Draco out of the shop. The old shopkeeper was bid them good day with a smile, welcoming them to come again as they exited. There was a definite chill in the air outside, and Hermione wrapped her cloak tighter around her to block out the cold. Draco noted the bookshop sign as Hermione adjusted her cloak, _Literary Antiques._ Once Hermione was ready to go, they wrapped one of their arms around each others waist, and slowly they made their way back to school.

Hermione expected Draco to say something, but after walking all the way up to the familiar part of Hogsmeade without speaking one word, she broke the silence. "Hey, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh," said Draco as if just realizing that he wasn't alone, "I was just thinking about the story, it's been years since I last heard it, and I can't believe I remember it like I do."

Hermione smiled, "you were really good at telling the part about the wyvern."

"Yeah, that was always my one of my favorite parts."

"That doesn't surprise me; you're somewhat of a wyvern yourself," commented Hermione.

"What is that supposed to mean? I've heard tons of people have called me a dragon, but never a wyvern," reasoned Draco.

"Well, yeah dragon makes sense too, after all that's your name." answered Hermione matter-of-factly. "But you're a dragon in the serpents' house. Half dragon, half snake, that's a wyvern."

"You know, I've honestly never considered that, but I like the idea."

Hermione laughed, "I thought you would."

The pair of them passed by the shops, which were now free of noisy Hogwarts students, all of whom had already left to return to school. As they passed Three Broomsticks, Hermione stopped, looking into the window, a mischievous glint in her eye. Draco stopped as well glancing quizzically between Hermione and the shop, "did you see something?" he asked once he determined that he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"No, I was just having a thought," answered Hermione turning her mischievous look to Draco.

"Ok . . . . care to elaborate?" suggested Draco.

"Well," Hermione paused as if deciding whether or not she really wanted to share her thought. She bit her lower lip slightly, and then seemed to decide that it was indeed a thought worth sharing. "I was just thinking, what if he _didn't_ go back to school in time for dinner? What if we stayed here a while longer?"

Draco gaped at her with exaggerated surprise, "Hermione Granger I believe I'm starting to have a bad influence on you!"

Hermione beamed at him as if he had just given her the greatest complement she had ever received. She then grabbed his hand, and led him into the pub. Draco allowed himself to be dragged inside, an amused smile playing on his face. He loved this impulsive, more daring side of his girlfriend, and what he loved even more was that he knew that he was one of the few people who ever got to see this side of her.

Hermione led them over to a table in the corner, which provided them with a measure of privacy while not completely secluding them. They sat down next to each other, and decided what they wanted to eat. Hermione waited at the table while Draco went up to the counter to order their meals. She didn't really know why she had suddenly has the impulse to stay in Hogsmeade, but she was glad she did. She had forgotten how much she missed just being with Draco without working, and she was not ready for the day to end just yet.

Draco returned momentarily with their meals, and placed them down on the table in front of them. He then returned to his seat, and wrapped one arm around Hermione, in turn she shifted so that they were closer together. "Hey Draco," she said softly, "I know that spending all day in a bookstore was probably the last thing you had in mind, but I really enjoyed hearing that story, and I can't wait to hear the rest of it."

Draco smiled at her lovingly. "Alright you want to rest of it, here it goes, the wyvern bursts into the castle after Ramon. Ramon is flung across the room, adding more bruises to his numerous cuts and burns. While he is unable to move, the wyvern breathes fire at him. Then while Ramon is on fire and unable to escape, it snaps him up in his jaws and eats him alive." Draco spoke as if he was telling a thrilling tale, and when he was finished he maintained a completely serious expression.

"Draco!" cried Hermione with stubborn amusement as she pushed him away, "that's not what happened and I know it!"

"Really? Have you heard the story before then?" Draco asked with raised eyebrows.

"No, of course not."

"Well then how do you know that's not the way it ends? That's why it is my favorite part of the story, the 'hero' gets eaten alive, you can't get a much more exciting ending than that!" Draco just about added that this was what he had been hoping would happen to Harry at the Triwizard Tournament during the first task, but he stopped himself just in time. Something told him that was not a thought Hermione would enjoy hearing.

Hermione gasped indignantly, "then why did you tell me it was so long then?" she countered.

"Because I didn't think you would like that ending, and I needed time to come up with a different one, so I fibbed a bit before."

Deep down Hermione knew he was joking, but he was so good at looking serious that she wasn't entirely sure if he were telling the truth. After all, not all stories had happy endings, and maybe the lesson young witches and wizards were supposed to learn was to not mess with dangerous magical creatures. She had just about convinced herself that Draco could have been telling the truth, when a suppressed chuckle issued from his mouth.

She had been so distracted with her thoughts that she didn't notice that Draco had been trying to contain his laughter for a while. "Draco!" she slapped him playfully and he cringed as if she had mortally wounded him, though it wasn't very convincing as he was laughing the whole time.

"You're too gullible Hermione, I can't believe you fell for that!" he cried in between laughs.

"And I can't believe you would tell me something like that!" she was more embarrassed than angry because looking back on it she really did feel stupid for even thinking that he had been serious. She turned her head away to hide the blush.

"Aww, Hermione, don't take it like that, it was a joke," he smiled.

Hermione responded by stubbornly lifting her head up so that her nose was in the air, and keeping the back of her head towards Draco.

Draco didn't speak until he was sure he wouldn't laugh when he opened his mouth. "I know how to get you to pay attention to me," he said in a deep yet quiet voice.

"Ha!" said Hermione, she kept her head turned away so that Draco couldn't see her smile. She thought she had an idea of how Draco was planning on 'getting her attention' and if truth be told, that's what she had been going for.

She felt him shifting behind her, and her heart sped up slightly. She felt his hands on her shoulders, holding her still. She could feel his slow breath on her hair, she breathed in deeper, and closed her eyes. Draco could tell that she was eager to feel his kisses against her skin, so of course, he prolonged it as long as possibly to make her sweat. He leaned close to her ear and whispered huskily "you know what I think?" he paused. "I think I like this little wild side you've got. I think that we should embrace that wild side by sneaking off alone together more often. But when to do it is the difficult question. I mean you of course wouldn't want to miss class, I can't miss quidditch practice, not to mention the fact that sneaking off could quite possibly mean breaking more rules" Draco had begun speaking in a businesslike tone, even though his head was still directly next to hers, and he could easily be kissing her.

Hermione huffed in frustration and turned her head slightly so that the tips of their noses were touching. "you really need to learn when to shut up you know that," she whispered with half annoyance, half amusement. Draco suddenly let go of Hermione and started to stand up, "wait! Where are you going?" cried Hermione, concerned that she had inadvertently hurt his feelings.

"I got you to pay attention to me, that was the goal wasn't it? Clearly I succeeded, my work here is done" he answered with a smug smile on his face.

"Get over here!" she ordered, pulling him towards her as she too stood up. She pulled him into a kiss, which he instantly responded to by pressing her body up against his. Hermione's hand looped around Draco's neck and held his head to hers. Draco just about forgot where the were, as he made to turn the kiss into something more, but this time it was Hermione's turn to suddenly back away. Draco gazed imploringly into her chocolate brown eyes, silently begging her to let him kiss her again. "And now," she whispered seductively, "I have your attention." She turned away with a haughty look, and led the way out the door.

Draco shook his head with disbelief and pride as she walked away; "You are evil!" he called once they were both outside.

Hermione turned around and began walking backwards as Draco strode to catch up, "Well," she said sweetly, "you did say that you have had a bad influence on me, I guess this means you're right."

"I always am," answered Draco confidently. He had finally caught up with her, and he had his hands on her hips again.

"Yeah, sure you are," Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes. But as she made to turn around and walk frontward again, Draco tightened his hold on her and lifted her, he lifted her so that she was slung over his shoulder. Hermione yelped, "Draco! Draco let me down!"

Draco just chuckled, "I don't think so, if you're going to try to be difficult to deal with, then I'm going to be damn near impossible."

Hermione let out a cry of frustration, although she wasn't really frustrated, she was a bit uncomfortable. "Come on Draco, this hurts," she whined.

Draco stopped walking; he tightened his hold on her legs, and moved her so that he was carrying her in a more traditional way. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck as he continued walking.

"You know I could get used to this," Hermione mused after a while.

With that, Draco stopped and suddenly dropped down a few inches. Hermione screamed and tightened her hold around Draco's neck. Draco laughed and raised her up again, he had succeeded in scaring her, which of course was what he had been going for.

"DRACO!" cried Hermione, she began kicking, and thrashing about so he would put her down.

Draco quickly released her legs, and once her feet her firmly on the ground he released her completely. Once she regained her footing, Hermione shoved Draco away, but he was too quick for her, he grabbed her arm, and she went stumbling along with him. She laughed as she fumbled around to catch her footing, and Draco stopped her from falling. After that, they both seemed to feel as if they had toyed with each other enough, and were ready for some peaceful quiet time. They were now well out of Hogsmeade, and the castle was growing larger with every passing moment. The sun had already set, and the scene thwi the twinkling stars was so picturesque that Hermione sighed with happiness.

The rest of the walk was calm and relaxing, it was almost as if they were an entirely different couple then they had been when they left Three Broomsticks. Hermione liked the fact that she never knew what to expect around Draco, it kept things interesting, and she really liked surprising him by becoming a bit more daring herself. She was having such a great time that she never wanted their walk to end, but of course all good things must come to an end, and all to quickly they arrived back at the castle.

Draco held the large door open for Hermione, and then followed her inside. Their steps echoed through the hallway, and the flames from the torches were sending shadows dancing across the walls. They had just passed the stone gargoyle when they heard a sound of scraping stone behind them. Out of curiosity, they turned, and saw that professor Dumbledore was exiting his office. He faced them as soon as he stepped off the stairway, almost as if he had been expecting them. Hermione's breath caught in her chest, 'did he know they had stayed out? Were they going to be punished?'

Draco felt Hermione tense, and though he kept his eyes on professor Dumbledore, he squeezed her hand tighter, and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb to relax her. She held his hand tighter, but did not relax much.

Professor Dumbledore walked towards them, a twinkle in his eye, and a smile on his face. "Ah, here are my two heads; I trust you had an enjoyable time in Hogsmeade?"

"Indeed we did Professor," answered Draco formally.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore smiled with a clap of his hands, "well, goodnight to you both." Dumbledore turned and began to walk away, and Hermione finally let out the breath she had been holding since she spotted him. "Oh, and Miss Granger," he said turning round to face them again, "you may want to go down to the Gryffindor Common Room and let Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley know that you are alright. I believe I heard them mention something about sending a search party out to find you. And unless I'm much mistaken, if Miss Weasley hadn't stopped them, I believe they would have done it themselves." Dumbledore smiled knowingly as Hermione blushed pink.

"Thank you professor, I'll do that," she muttered.

Professor Dumbledore nodded, and then turned to continue on his way. Hermione bit her lip and held her head down as she and Draco turned around. Draco was still holding her hand, but he suddenly seemed much colder than he had been the entire the day. Clearly, he was not appreciative of Hermione's friends' overly protective concern for her whereabouts. The couple continued towards their common room in silence. Hermione wishing more than anything that they could be back in Hogsmeade where the world had been peaceful.

They arrived at their portrait, but before Draco said the password, Hermione spoke. She was looking towards the floor; "I guess I better at least let them know I'm fine. I don't want them to end up ambushing you tomorrow or something."

"Yeah right," said Draco coldly.

"Draco, I'm really sorry, I really don't feel like dealing with them right now any more than you do, but I don't want to be thinking about what they're going to do when I could be here enjoying a night alone with you." She finished in an innocent tone, hoping to warm his demeanor a bit.

Luckily her efforts were at least a little successful, "just don't stay away too long, I was looking forward to a night alone with you too," responded Draco.

"I'll be back as soon as possible," she whispered, before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. She turned and hurried through the corridor. More than wanting to reach her friends quickly, she was eager to return to the common room. Draco said the password as he watched her dash away; he heaved a heavy sigh, cursing her meddling friends.

Hermione stopped with a skid in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, and gave her the password ("chizpurfle"). The portrait door opened, and Hermione entered the partially full common room. "Hermione!" cried the voice of Seamus Finnigan as soon as she entered the common room, "how are you? You know Harry and Ron were really worried about you when you didn't come to dinner, they thought something might have happened to you in Hogsmeade!"

"I know, professor Dumbledore told me," answered Hermione shortly, "do you know where Harry and Ron are?"

"I think they're up in the boys dormitory," answered Dean Thomas who had been sitting with Seamus playing a game of exploding snap.

"Ok, thanks," said Hermione in a huff.

"Anytime!" called Dean and Seamus as Hermione disappeared up the stairs to the boys dorm.

She knocked on the door, heard a muffled "come in!" then opened the door. Sure enough there were Harry and Ron, sitting on their beds in deep discussion. They both turned to Hermione as she entered, and suddenly jumped up as if they hadn't seen her in years. "Hermione!" they cried, rushing forward to hug her.

"We thought something horrible must have happened to you, why weren't you at dinner?" demanded Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "as you can see, I'm perfectly fine, and for your information, Draco and I decided to eat dinner in Hogsmeade."

"What!" cried Harry, "but you could have gotten in trouble! You can't let him force you to do stuff like that Hermione, you've got to stand up to him.

Hermione stared at Harry with annoyed disbelief. "There is no way in Hell I am going to listen to you of all people give me a lecture about rule-breaking and playing it safe Harry. And for your information, it was not Draco's idea to stay in Hogsmeade, it was mine, and you know what, I'm glad we did it."

The boys gaped at her in stunned silence. And since Hermione was in no mood to begin another battle with them, and she was looking forward to being with Draco again, she decided to let this battle go. "Anyway guys, professor Dumbledore told me you two were worried about me, so I just came by to let you know that I'm fine. Alright? Thank you guys for being so concerned about me, but really I can take care of myself."

"You're leaving?" asked Ron with disappointment in his tone.

"Yeah, I missed out on an entire day's work, and I really need to catch up," Hermione lied without even flinching. The boys blindly accepted this excuse, as it made perfect sense coming from Hermione.

She walked much slower back to the common room, thinking about what she had just done. She had been joking before when she had said Draco was having a bad influence on her, but maybe she hadn't been entirely wrong, perhaps Draco was having a bad influence on her. She certainly never would have been able to lie to Harry or Ron before, not even about something trivial. The strange part was, she didn't feel guilty, and she had rather enjoyed bending the rules and living a bit more rebelliously than she was used to. It gave her a bit of a rush, and she liked the feeling.

-

Draco entered the common room. He slumped onto the couch; somehow he doubted that Hermione would be back anytime soon. And when she did come back he was almost certain that she would not be in a good mood. He huffed in annoyance at her friends, why she allowed them to keep her on such a tight leash was beyond him. Though when he thought about it, he had to give her credit, it must have taken a lot of guts for her to get involved with him to begin with considering who she had for friends, and this was completely ignoring who she was, and who he was. It amazed him that they ever got together in the first place.

"But what's the use of being together if you never get to enjoy it!" he voiced out loud. He hit the couch, and got up to change into his pajamas. He didn't bother hurrying, as he didn't expect Hermione to return for a while anyway.

Draco was in the bathroom when Hermione returned, so he didn't hear the portrait door open. but Hermione, hear the water running in the sink of Draco's bathroom. She smiled mischievously as she tiptoed into her room. She knew that Draco was likely to be in a slightly sour mood, so she figured that the best way to cure him of that would be to have a little fun with him. She silently changed into pajama pants and a light blue tank top listening intently for sounds indicating Draco's movement. She was sliding her feet into her soft slippers when she heard him crash land onto the couch. She giggled silently, knowing that he was completely oblivious to her presence.

Hermione carefully poked her head out of her doorway, and was pleased to find that Draco was staring into the fire, away from her. She bit her lip to prevent herself from giggling with excitement as she carefully padded across the carpet behind the couch. She was careful to remain far enough behind him so that she was not in his range of vision if he were to for some reason glance upward. She paused a moment, then lunged forward, grabbing his shoulders and shouting "BOO!"

Draco screamed and leapt off the couch, whipping around as he did so. He glared at her breathing heavily, she meanwhile was doubled up over the back of the couch laughing. "What the Hell was that for!" he demanded.

In between laughs, she answered, "You . . you should have seen . . .your face! It was priceless."

"Oh, you're going to be sorry you did that! No one scares Draco Malfoy and gets away with it!" Draco charged behind the couch towards her, and grabbed her around the middle. She shrieked gleefully, still laughing. Draco carried her into her room and threw her over onto her bed. He quickly joined her on the bed, threw the pillows onto the floor, and pinned her arms down above her head. Hermione had finally managed to quell her laughter, and was now just breathing heavily and smiling a lot.

"Well?" she asked with raised eyebrows, "I'm waiting for you to make me sorry."

Draco leaned down so that his lips were millimeters away from hers, "you will be" he whispered roughly.

Hermione licked her lips and raised her head for a kiss, but Draco had anticipated her move, and backed away. He then moved her hands together so that he could keep them pinned down with one hand, allowing the other free to explore. He positioned himself next to her, and his hand began by stroking her face. Hermione closed her eyes, enjoying the sensual feelings of his skin against hers. His hand traveled down against her neck to her collarbone. All the while his face was close to hers, but they were never touching. She could feel his deep breaths against her lips, and she longed for tose lips to be pressed up against his.

He traced her well defined collar bone softly, barely touching her at all. She tensed and held her breath a little, no doubt thinking where he was likely to go next, but he didn't. Instead, his hand moved directly to the hem of her shirt. He gently stroked her side, cause goose bumps to tingle across her flesh. Her breathing was slower and deeper now, and her eyes were still closed.

Draco touched his forehead to Hermione's and she opened her eyes, an intense look of desire in them. Draco leaned his mouth just above hers and caressed her stomach around her bellybutton with his thumb. Hermione moaned softly, and tried to raise her head to meet Draco's lips, but yet again he pulled away. "what are you waiting for?" she groaned desperately.

"For you to say you're sorry," he whispered gently, his hot breath blowing across her lips as she spoke.

She licked her lips again, more impatiently this time, "I'm sorry!" she cried almost desperately.

Draco smiled and leaned in closer, Hermione closer her eyes and smiled, clearly expecting him to finally kiss her, but instead all she felt was his breath kissing her lips as he spoke again, "I'm not sure you really mean it," he mused.

Hermione's eyes shot open, "I mean it! I'm sorry!"

For what felt like the hundredth time, Hermione could feel Draco's lips positioned just above hers. And finally, she was not disappointed. He kissed her slowly and sensually, releasing her hands as he did, so that she was free to move as she pleased (although truth be told, she could have easily escaped his grip at anytime had she wanted to try). Instantly her arms flew around his neck, and both of his hands held her waist. She ran her hands though his hair and along his chest. She was quite surprised with how annoyed she felt when she ran her hands along his chest and felt fabric instead of skin.

They continued snogging for a while, mostly just kissing, although Hermione had practically torn Draco's shirt off of him when the offending piece of clothing had become too annoying. Draco on the other hand, had not wanted to spoil the day by attempting to go further than Hermione was ready for, and he wasn't sure how far she was ready to go yet, so he had stuck to doing things that he already knew were ok with her. He was glad that he had restrained himself, because he had had a perfectly enjoyable time, and he was sure Hermione had as well, and now he was being rewarded by lying next to her, in her bed, holding her in his arms.

When they had first settled down, Draco had thought that Hermione was going to kick him out. Yet they had been lying together for quite a while now, and she had made no indication of wanting him to leave. He nuzzled his face in her hair, and she turned around to face him. For a split second, he thought that she was going to tell him to leave, but instead, she leaned her forehead into his chest, and rested her arm around his waist. She signed pleasantly, "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he answered back.

"Good night," she said in a voice that was barely audible.

Draco kissed her head, and held her tighter, "good night," he whispered with a smile, not even daring to believe that she was intentionally allowing him to spend the night. Hermione quickly drifted off to sleep, dreaming lovingly of a certain blonde haired someone who happened to be right next to her. Draco lay awake longer than Hermione; but her gentle breathing soothed him, and made the entire world seem peaceful, and soon, he was lulled to sleep thinking only of her.

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please review and let me know what you think! And for anyone who may be wondering when something big is going to happen, I just ask that you be patient, because it will happen eventually. 

_Note:_ a wyvern (also spelled wivern) is a real mythical creature from Medieval Times; however the little story about Ramon (which will be continued later) is completely invented by me.

On a completely unrelated note, I would just like to share that I got my first flame for my other fic. I found it rather funny, to tell you the truth, the reviewer said stuff like that I need to reread the books, and that Hermione and Draco were completely ooc the entire time, and that the entire fic was terrible (note, they reviewed on chapter 12, which is not even halfway though, so how they could say that is beyond me). Also, I don't know about anyone else, but when I don't like a fic, I stop reading it rather than send the author potentially hurtful reviews. But anyway, the reason I'm telling you all this, is to thank everyone who has sent me constructive reviews on both of my fics, even if you didn't like everything I wrote. I don't expect or ask everyone to like everything I write, but I do appreciate those who tell me what I need to work on and offer helpful hits, that's constructive, and it helps me improve my writing in the future. So thank you very much to all of you, you are truly great people!

So again, I absolutely love hearing from all of you, and I hope you liked the chapter!


	11. Chapter 11: Hermione's Ultimatum

**Disclaimer: **Same old stuff, I'm not J.K. Rowling so I do not own Harry Potter. I am simply another obsessed HP fan who happens to enjoy writing about situations that will never happen in the actual books.

**A/N: **For some reason I've been in a writing mood lately, so at the expense of my sleep I have spent a lot of time working on this chapter, as well as on my newest upcoming fic. So, now to thank all my wonderful reviewers from last chapter, you guys continue to rock!

_Brielle Lupin_– Thank you, I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the sequel so far. And yay! I love being rewarded with reviews:o)  
_Llama_ – lol glad you like it, and I hope the update came quick enough!  
_jesska-14 _– aww thank you so much for the support! I'm happy you like it and I hope you had a fun half day of school!  
_Roundrockrules_ – wow, you really think so? Coolness, I hope you think this chapters' just as good!  
_Phoebe Telumetar _– I agree, people who flame are horrible. They're not worth paying attention to. I'm sorry that you ended up deleting the story, but I hope you didn't let them discourage you from writing altogether, because I'm sure that the more you do it the better you'll get, and what they said probably wasn't at all true anyway. Anyway, glad to hear you didn't mind the break from the story development, because I agree that the relationship needed a little time as well, and it's fun to switch things up a bit sometimes.  
_Elekra30_ – woo:o) I know that you prefer the drama to the snogging stuff, and I know what you mean about it being a little disappointing when waiting so long for a chapter and not getting much plot development in it. But I'm glad you understand why I did it. But if you like tension, anger and rage, I think you might find this chapter a little more to your liking. ;o)  
_Karma Chameleon _– lol no worries, about forgetting to review, I've forgotten to send in reviews myself. But anyway, I'm glad to see you back, and I hope that no one whacked you with a shovel, cause that would hurt. But if they did, then I'll send over some ice for ya. Hehehe thanks for the review!  
_FalconWing_ – I'm happy to hear that you think they're staying in character. Now to answer your question, Draco is still having nightmares, but Draco's not going to tell Hermione about them, he's going to keep them a secret for as long as possible. She will of course notice something different, but she won't know what it is.  
_A Luminous Lily _– yay! I love it when people think I've been keeping everyone in character! Thanks so much for the review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
_Sunflower18_ – Thanks for the review!  
_Zuvalupa_ – yay! My favorite phrase again lol. Sorry about the typos, I hope I managed to fix them all in this chapter!  
_Anonymous-139 _– Thank you so much for the support, it made me feel good. :o) That was a good idea to send the person an e-mail, I would have done it, but it wasn't a signed review, so I don't know what their address is. Oh well, I'm not thinking about it anymore.  
_Lhearttomfelton_ – hehe thank you so much, you're probably right. I'm glad to hear you like it, and I hope you like this chapter too!  
_Alcapacien_ – yes, I admit it was a fluffy chapter, which I usually try to avoid, but I just couldn't resist. I'm glad to hear that you liked it, and I hope you like this chapter as well!  
_Sirius-harry-n-remus_ – I'm glad you liked the little break from the story to focus on the relationship; I agree that they needed the focus to be more on them. I hope you like this chapter!

So now, on with Chapter 11!

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**Chapter 11: Hermione's Ultimatum**

"Headmaster."

"Yes Severus?"

"Headmaster I think my loyalties are in question. I have heard rumor that the Dark Lord is plotting something that will directly affect Hogwarts, yet he has told me nothing of it. I do no know what sort of thing he is planning, but from what I have heard, he is very excited about it."

Professor Dumbledore took in this information with a serious expression. "I did not know how long it would take for them to become suspicious of you, however I cannot say that I am surprised that they are wary. Yet I do not feel like they completely distrust you, otherwise you would surely know by now."

"I agree professor, am merely keeping you updated so you know that I may not be able to bring you as much information as usual," replied professor Snape.

"I appreciate your work Severus, any information you bring the Order is helpful, but continue keeping yourself inconspicuous for your own safety," ordered Dumbledore sternly.

"I will professor," bowed Snape before sweeping out of Dumbledore's office.

Professor Dumbledore sighed once Snape left. While he was unsurprised that Lord Voldemort was being cautious around Severus, he could not deny that without Snape delivering information, the Order was going to have much more trouble anticipating Voldemorts next move. And that meant that people were in danger.

Still, the information that Voldemort was planning something within Hogwarts was valuable information in itself. It told Dumbledore where the Order should be focusing their efforts and their attention. Naturally, he would make sure that the protection around Harry was stronger than ever since any plot of Voldemort's would most likely be against Harry. In his concern about being unable to fully anticipate what Voldemort was planning, Dumbledore managed to overlook the fact that Harry was no longer the only student in Hogwarts who Voldemort had a personal grudge against. . . .

Hermione awoke much earlier than she would have liked, the day after the Hogsmeade trip. She groaned at the thought of how much work she had to do today to make up for what she hadn't done the day before, not that she regretted how she had spent her time there, quite the contrary in fact.

Draco was in a deep sleep next to her, his arms were wrapped loosely around her body, and his fingers grazing the flesh between her pants and shirt. For a while she just lay there, not at all eager to remove herself from his grasp. The heat of his body was comforting, and kept her much warmer than the heavy blankets on her bed did. But after a while of laying there, the thought of all the work she had to do began to overwhelm her. Carefully she slid out of Draco's arms, and tiptoed over to the bathroom.

Draco was still sleeping soundly when Hermione was finished with her shower, and since he no longer had her to hold, he had turned around in his sleep, 'probably to avoid the sunlight' she thought with a smile. Hermione closed the curtains of her window so return the room to semidarkness, and then she retrieved her school supplies from her desk and moved to the common room. She laid out all her parchments, and her books, and her quill and ink on the desk, dipped her quill into the ink and began to work.

By the time she heard Draco resuling about in her room, she had already finished her potions essay and nearly completed the essay assigned by professor McGonagall as well. She barely glanced up when she heard her door open.

"Morning," said Draco with a yawn.

"Morning sleepy head," answered Hermione, doing her best to stay focused.

Draco stepped behind Hermione and glanced over her shoulder to see what she was up to. He placed a hand on her shoulder and kissed the top of her head, "working already?"

"Honestly! Me work? Draco don't you know me at all by now?" joked Hermione.

Draco smiled, "I'll be back in a bit, and then we can go to breakfast."

"Ok," agreed Hermione.

Hermione didn't fail to notice the disapproving looks from Harry and Ron when she entered the Great Hall with Draco, though thankfully both of them managed to keep their mouths shut. Draco had a quidditch practice after breakfast, so Hermione was left alone in the common room. While she was perfectly fine with that, she knew that she would hear grief from Ron and Harry if they failed to see her for two days in a row. She decided that the best was to keep them happy would be to move into the Gryffindor common room while she worked. Because she honestly believed that as long as she was there and they could see her, they wouldn't give a damn what she was doing.

It turned out she was right, both of the guys faces instantly brightened when she entered the common room. But once she sat down to work, she might as well have been invisible, 'just like it always was' she thought fondly.

By mid afternoon, she had finished all her schoolwork, so now it was time to begin on the yearbook. While it was the prefects' job to actually put the pictures and articles of the various sections together, it was her job to come up with a general layout and overall theme for them to follow. She unrolled a huge piece of parchment, and began fiddling around with different ideas. She had difficulty choosing between two ideas, so she called Ginny over to help her decide. Soon she was surrounded by a whole gang of girls, and a few guys who were curious as to what all the commotion was about. Everyone seemed to have different opinions, which frustrated Hermione a bit. Finally, when she wouldn't take all the voices and finger pointing, she stood up and yelled "QUIET!"

Everyone hushed, although Parvati and Lavender looked as though Hermione had just cursed at them. Hermione lifted the parchment and held it out in front of her. "Alright, everyone who prefers this design," she pointed to the first option, "raise your hand." Several hands went up, and Hermione quickly tallied them. "Now, everyone who prefers this option, raise your hand," she pointed to the second option and again tallied the hands. "Well it looks like the first design wins. Thanks for your help guys!"

Hermione smiled at the group as they walked away to return to their business. As she was rolling up the parchment, Lavender and Parvati zoomed to her side both smiling. "Did you get out photographs Hermione?" asked Parvati excitedly.

Hermione did her best not to sort with laughter. The two girls had sent in more photographs of themselves and occasionally them with other students than anyone else had. Indeed they sent in more photos than Hermione thought she had taken of herself though out her entire life. She smiled at them, "yes, I got them." She neglected to tell them that she wasn't planning on using the majority of them, she didn't think they'd want to hear that.

Both girls smiled and giggled with glee, "Thanks Hermione," they said before disappearing somewhere, probably to gossip about something or another.

Weeks had passed since the Hogsmeade trip, and the enjoyment of it had long worn off. Things were back to the way they had been before. Professors were piling on the homework, all insisting that the work was necessary for the seventh years to prepare for their N.E.W.T.s. Quidditch season had definitely begun, and Slytherin had won their first match against Hufflepuff, while Gryffindor defeated Ravenclaw. Both teams were training harder than ever, knowing that they were going to have to play against each other for the cup in the last match of the season.

In the prefects meeting after the Hogsmeade trip, Hermione had presented the design to everyone and told the prefects that they could start piecing together rough copies of their sections. Hermione would then edit all the writing and they could start putting the final draft together. While everyone was excited about the yearbook, none of them liked the idea of extra work, so getting them to actually do their jobs was a bit of a challenge for Hermione. Sometimes, she even resorted to having Draco talk to them, which while it usually left the prefects cowering in fear, it did persuade them to get the job done.

Hermione barely even had time to miss the time that she no longer had to spend with Draco, or even with her friends. But that didn't stop her from noticing the strain Draco was under. He seemed to always be exhausted, and she rarely got to see him smile anymore. Usually she would have chalked his stress to too much quidditch practice, but Harry and Ron were training just as hard, and neither of them seemed to be nearly as tired as Draco always was. Sometimes, when he wasn't looking, she would examine him with a curious eye, it looked to her as if he wasn't sleeping properly, but whenever she asked, he always denied it. He would flash her a smile and give her a kiss, although it always looked like it took a great deal of energy for him to do so, and the kisses were growing less passionate as time wore on, and that was cause for alarm in Hermione's opinion.

Hermione was right about what was wrong with Draco, he wasn't sleeping properly. His sleep was almost always riddled with the nightmarish flashed of green and white light, and the horrible cackling. Sometimes the light was so bright and the laughter so loud that Draco could have sworn that it had been real. Yet when he would jerk awake, his room would always be as pitch black as it always was in the middle of the night.

The lack of sleep was definitely taking its toll on him; he had to use most his energy just to focus on staying awake throughout the day, let alone actually paying attention. Somehow the strain didn't affect his quidditch practices nearly as much as he thought it would. It seemed as if flying temporarily cured all his problems, and allowed him to feel normal again.

He was having a particularly difficult time one today. He was barely able to listen to McGonagall ranting on about whatever it was they were supposed to be transfiguring that day. When professor McGonagall finished talking and barked that them to start working, he had to shake his head vigorously to keep alert. Along with the rest of the class, Draco stood (they were supposed to be transfiguring their chairs into dogs). Draco had always found transfiguration unnecessarily complicated and completely pointless. Unless you were going to use it to become and animagus, what was the point? What was he going to gain from being able to turn a chair into a dog? NOTHING! Still, he aimed his wand at the chair, waved the wand, said the spell and nothing happened. With a frown, he consulted his textbook and found that rather than swish the wand to the left, he should have swished it upwards. He reviewed the instructions and tried again. The chair quivered and sprouted a tail and ears, but nothing more.

Before he could try again, the barking of a puppy interrupted his thoughts. He (along with the rest of the class) looked up and saw Hermione holding a perfect looking golden retriever puppy. It was licking her face, and she was laughing merrily, her eyes sparkling with success. Instinctively, her eyes immediately shot over towards the other side of the room where they locked with Draco's He sent her a congratulatory smile, which caused her smile to widen and her eyes to shine with even more pride. But all too soon (in Draco's opinion at least) her attention was stolen by none other than that red-headed weasel. Weasley appeared to be begging Hermione to help, which Hermione willingly obliged. Apparently he was having difficulty with the wand movement because Hermione placed her hand on his, which was holding his wand, and began to guide his arm through the proper motions.

A rush of jealousy and range consumed Draco, a feeling which was increased by his recent lack of sleep and increase wof daily stress. He wanted nothing more than to blast the good for nothing weasel as far away from Hermione as possible. He could tell that Hermione was clearly only trying to instruct her friend, but Weasley was obviously not paying her lesson the slightest bit of attention. Instead he was gazing at her with a misty eye expression which completely repulsed Draco. He sneered furiously when Weasley began asking for remedial help.

"Ron!" said Hermione with a touch of frustration, "focus, it's not that difficult."

"I am focusing," insisted Ron.

Draco bared his teeth, looking as if he was ready to attack, "I'll give him something to focus on," he muttered to himself. So with renewed determination, he aimed his wand at his partially transfigured chair for the third time.

Across the room, Ron had insisted that if he watched Hermione do it, he would be able to figure it out. She conceded with a roll of her eyes, and with Ron standing behind her, showed him the proper wand movements for what felt like the millionth time. As she was teaching him, he moved closer to her, so that their bodies were almost touching. It was only then that Hermione realized how close he was to her, there was something about his behavior that caused her alarm. She finally realized that he had not really been seeing her assistance with the transfiguration assignment; he had just been trying to flirt with her. She visibly flinched when Ron put his hand on her shoulder. She whipped around and took a step back, her expression unreadable.

But before Hermione could even open her mouth to tell Ron off, a ferocious barking from across the room stopped her. The entire class immediately stopped what they were doing, and quite a few people screamed. Across the room Hermione saw a furious looking Draco. He was glaring at Ron with utmost hatred, and standing right next to him, where Draco's chair had been was a fully grown ferocious looking rottweiler. The people around Draco scampered as far away from the terrifying dog as they could. Its teeth were bared, it was issuing a deep menacing growl, and it was staring intently at Ron. Almost as if the dog was reading Draco's mind, it began to stalk towards the stunned looking red head.

Hermione didn't need to ask to know that Draco had obviously seen Ron's flirty behavior, and it was clear that he was not happy about it. She desperately tried to catch his eye, but he, like the dog, was glaring at Ron with an expression of pure rage. The dog meanwhile, was inching ever closer, and Ron was too afraid to move, for fear that the slightest movement would cause it to attack.

"What is going on here?" demanded professor McGonagall, who had been in her office when the scene began. With one quick glance around the room, and a wide-eyed shock at seeing such a ferocious looking beast in her classroom, she whipped out her wand, and with a pop the growling animal was transfigured into an adorable puppy.

Once the dog was gone, and everyone was able to breathe again they class went back to their work, although several people kept shooting anxious glances at Draco as if they were afraid he would send an attack dog on them. Draco scowled when McGonagall transfigured his magnificent rottweiler into a fuzzball of a puppy, but he was even more enraged that the dog hadn't even gotten a chance to bite Weasley's head off. Professor McGonagall picked up the puppy, and carried it over to Draco, "Mr. Malfoy, kindly do not transfigure any more killer canines whilst in my class, thank you very much."

Draco took the puppy from her, and didn't bother to hide his angry sneer. As she marched away he thought 'alright, I'll wait until your class is done then.' He was about to set his puppy down and transfigure it back into a chair when a playful bark sounded from somewhere around his feet. Hermione's golden retriever had found him and apparently was searching for a playmate. The puppy he was holding began wagging its tail with excitement, so Draco let the dog down. The puppies immediately began roughhousing around the classroom, growling and barking playfully as they tackled each other, and nipped at their ears and tails.

Draco watched the puppies for a while, until he felt someone watching him. He looked up and was unsurprised to meet Hermione's eyes. She smiled when he looked at her. But from behind her, Draco noticed the jealous glances coming from Weasel, which caused him to narrow his steely eyes, and sneer yet again.

With a questioning glance, Hermione turned to see what Draco was so unhappy about, and she sighed with disappointment when she saw Ron. 'Why can't she just get over it?' she thought before going over to play with the puppies.

Hermione didn't get the chance to see Draco for the rest of the day after transfiguration. But she knew he was still pissed about Ron's behavior, she just hoped he wasn't pissed at her too. Although judging by the fact that he had smiled at her during class, she didn't think he was. That evening, she was trying to occupy her mind by editing some of the preliminary articles from the yearbook, but she kept thinking about how pissed Draco had looked earlier, and she wanted to make him feel better. She glanced at the time, noting that he was likely to be back soon from quidditch practice. She knew that flying tended to relieve his stress, but she had a feeling that the walk back to the common room would be more than enough to bring the anger back to him, she didn't want to deal with that, so she decided to meet him down at the pitch, and hopefully catch him in a relatively good mood.

Draco was the last one out of the changing room after the Slytherin teams' quidditch practice. Hermione had waited for him in the shadows so that the rest of the team didn't see her. As always, the exhilaration he got from flying had temporarily erased all other thoughts and worries from his mind. However, now that he was back on the ground, everything that had happened throughout the day, and everything he had been thinking about over the past few weeks was gradually returning to the forefront of his conscience. With a heavy sigh, he lifted his Nimbus 2001 up over his shoulder and shuffled out to the school grounds.

Hermione, who had been growing impatient from the long wait, lit up when she saw him,stepping out from her hideaway, she addressed him, "Do you always take so long in there, or are you only slow when I'm waiting for you?"

Draco's head shot up in surprise when he heard Hermione's voice. He saw her and smiled a small smile, "I only take my time to test your patience," he joked. Hermione rolled her eyes, and Draco smiled smoothly, "so, to what do I owe this surprise visit to the quidditch pitch?"

"Well, you're always so happy and relaxed after you've been flying, and after what happened in transfiguration class, I just wanted to see you smiling again," answered Hermione stepping closer to Draco as she spoke.

Draco wrapped his free arm around Hermione's waist, while he didn't like being reminded of Weasley's behavior in class, the fact that she was here now quickly erased all feelings of jealousy and rage from his mind, at least for the time being. Weasley may still be flirting with Hermione, but clearly all of her romantic attention was reserved for Draco. "Flying is a great stress relief, you should try it, you've been stressed out quite a bit lately yourself," Draco said, as Hermione smiled at him. After a moment of standing together in silence, Draco acted on an impulse, and with a devious smile he grabbed Hermione's hand and led her to the pitch.

"Draco!" laughed Hermione as she allowed him to lead her across the grass, "what are you doing?"

But Draco did not answer; he just turned and grinned at her as he hurried to the middle of the pitch.

Once he stopped, and she realized what he expected her to do, she tensed. "No! No Draco seriously, this won't relieve my stress, it will add to it!"

Draco acknowledged the fear in her voice, but he was confident that if she just tried it, she would love it. She looked at him, her eyes filled with fear, she had not ridden a broomstick since first year, and she was not at all eager to try it again. Draco moved behind her and placed his free hand around her waist, he could feel her quiver slightly at his touch. He then moved his head next to hers and whispered into her ear, "I'll be up there with you the entire time, and I promise nothing bad will happen to you while you're flying with me okay?"

Hermione bit her lip, she was still very anxious, and her stomach was turning with fear. Yet she still turned her head sideways so that her mouth was next to Draco's "okay" she whispered in response.

Draco smiled, and put on an air of an instructor giving a student their first flying lesson, "now, first we mount the broom."

Hermione mounted it, and held onto the handle so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Draco mounted it as well holding the broom in front of Hermione with one hand and looping the other around her waist so that she would feel completely safe.

He could feel the nerves coursing through her, it meant a lot to him knowing that she trusted him enough to try something she was obviously terrified to do. He was sure she would not regret it. "Now, I'm going to kick off the ground, I'll start out flying slowly and staying low, if I ever go too high or too fast just let me know alright?"

Hermione was practically shaking with fear, but she nodded anyway. She let out a scream, and immediately went rigid when Draco kicked off from the ground, and when the broom started to rise she slammed her eyes closed. True to his word, Draco flew slowly and remained so close to the ground that their shoes were nearly skimming the grass. He held her firmly, he was eager to know what she was thinking. She hadn't said anything, so he sped up a bit, he felt her tense, but she still remained silent, taking this as a cue that she was alright, he moved higher, but she didn't react at all. "Doesn't everything look peaceful from up here?" he asked.

"I don't know!" she answered, not wanting to open her eyes.

Draco let out a small laugh, and slowed the broom to a stop so they were just hovering in the air, "Hermione, open your eyes." He cajoled softly.

She shook her head vigorously, "isn't it enough that I got on the broom?" she pleaded with desperation laced in her tone.

"Trust me, you want to see this," he answered patiently.

She could feel his hot soothing breath against her neck when he spoke. Her brain wildly protested Draco's request, but as she found herself often doing in matters involving Draco, Hermione ignored her brain and opened her eyes. The sight that greeted her was breathtaking. From this height, the castle, grounds, lake and forest all looked so beautiful and tranquil in the colorful sunset. She stared at the place that had been her home away from home for over six years, seeing it in a brand new light. She turned her head slowly, taking in the beauty of it all, "Draco it's beautiful!"

Draco smiled and rested his chin on her shoulder, "I knew you'd like it." After resting for another moment, allowing her to take in everything, he urged the broom forward slowly. He felt a sharp intake of breath at first, but as the wind brushed past them he felt her relax again. She took a steadying breath and smiled, flying really was a good stress reliever. It was if all her problems and stresses were left abandoned on the ground. She felt as though nothing mattered as long a she was gliding effortlessly though the air.

Once Draco felt that she was totally relaxed he decided to take a chance, he sped up a bit and flew higher at the same time. He heard her let out a quick scream of surprise, but she did not object, instead she let out an exhilarated laugh and cried "Draco this is amazing!"

"What do you say we forget the homework and go practice a little quidditch?" suggested Harry as he and Ron sat in the common room making absolutely no progress on their homework.

"Sounds good to me!" agreed Ron as he threw his charms book closed and tossed it into his bag. Harry packed up his stuff as well, then they made their way up to their dormitory to grab their brooms. The boys marched down to the quidditch pitch discussing the Chudley Cannons and other quidditch related topics. They were just about all the way to the pitch when they heard a distant scream from a girl's voice. With a sharp glance at each other they both bolted out to the pitch to see what had happened.

They were out to the middle of the pitch when the voice shouted again, though the speaker didn't sound frightened at all, "Draco this is amazing!" The two boys directed their eyes upward and to their complete astonishment saw Hermione flying high in the air on a broom with Malfoy. And what shocked them the most was that she appeared to be completely enjoying herself.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing!" shouted Ron from the ground; he was glaring at the pair on the broom with utmost fury.

Draco and Hermione both turned towards the voice when they heard Ron's shout. "Oh shit," breathed Hermione.

Draco stopped the broom, but left it floating in the air, "you'd think he'd get it through his head that people who are dating do things together." Draco muttered with obvious annoyance in his voice. His rage from earlier was quickly seeping back into him.

"No that's not it," Hermione didn't bother to continue explaining because Ron and Harry had kicked off and were flying towards them.

"Well I'm glad to see that the army of skrewts didn't hurt you Hermione," spat Ron furiously.

"Ron . . ." began Hermione.

"What the fuck are you talking about Weasley?" interrupted Draco.

Ron ignored him, "hmm, you mean there was no army of blast-ended skrewts" he said, his voice dripping with cruel sarcasm.

Hermione turned her head toward Draco, who was glaring furiously at Ron, "I'd like to go back inside now." Her voice was small and pained. Draco nodded, knowing that as soon as she was away from Weasley and Potter she was going to start crying. He turned the broom and guided it gently down to the ground.

"Yeah sure!" shouted Ron angrily after them "leave! That's what you always do as soon as we come around, you run off somewhere with _him_!"

Draco had been walking next to Hermione leading her back to the castle when Ron shouted at them. Hermione kept walking, speeding up to get away faster, Draco however stopped. He turned, sneering at Ron, "Weasley!" he shouted, "tell me, do you have no brains at all, or do you enjoy pushing Hermione to tears every time you see her?" Draco didn't wait for a response, he turned and swept across the grounds, he took long strides to catch up with Hermione, but she was still already at the castle steps by the time he reached her.

"Hermione?" said Draco soothingly, "you alright?" In his mind he was cursing at Weasley and pulverizing him to a pulp. But on the outside he was calming and supportive of Hermione. He still didn't know exactly what had happened out there. Obviously Weasley was mad for seeing Hermione flying with him, but what they hell had all that 'army of blast-ended skrewt' shit been about.

Hermione nodded, but Draco knew better. He watched as she lifted a hand to her face, presumably to wipe a tear from her eye. Her hair was blocking her face, so he couldn't see the tears, but he knew they were there.

"Wanna tell me what that was all about?" asked Draco gently. Even more than wanting to comfort Hermione, at the moment he wanted to know the whole story so he would know exactly why he was going to crack Weasley's skull in half then next time he saw him.

By now the two had reached their common room, and Hermione was starting to sob audibly. Draco held the door open for her, and climbed in after, her. "Come on Hermione, tell me."

"It's so stupid! She cried stamping her foot on the ground. She told Draco about what had happened at the Burrow over the summer. "I just can't stand him sometimes!" she shouted. "Every time I think we're straightened things out, he goes and messes everything up again!"

"Yeah well, he's always been an idiot, so why change now," muttered Draco.

It was proof of how furious she was with Ron that she didn't chastise Draco for his comment, instead she just humphed. Her eyes were red and bloodshot; she looked rather scary in fact. Draco kissed her forehead, "why don't you go take a shower or something, it will help you feel better."

"Yeah," Hermione mumbled, "I'll do that." She shuffled to her door, but before he closed it behind her, she turned back to Draco, "hey, I really did enjoy flying with you today, and I wish it could have lasted longer."

Draco smiled lovingly, "we'll have to do it again sometime then."

"I'd like that," Hermione whispered before retiring to her room.

Draco admired the fact that Hemrione was trying to hold her head high as if she wasn't bothered by what had happened. But Draco knew better, she was heartbroken. Heartbroken because that good-for-nothing pathetic excuse for a human being that she called a friend was an absolute moron. Draco scowled as he paced the room, he had half a mind to go find Weasley and tear him to shreds right then and there. The only thing that stopped him was that Weasley was probably still with Potter, and if he attacked one of them, the other would join in and double up on him. Draco wanted to make absolutely sure that when he attacked Ron he was alone so that no one could come to his rescue.

After a while without seeing Hermione, Draco poked his head inside to be sure she was alright. He had not been expecting what he found. From the looks of it, she had never gotten into the shower. She was still wearing her school clothes, and her hair was perfectly dry. She was curled up in a fetal position on her bed. Draco could see the tear stains trailing along her cheeks, he felt a pang of guilt knowing that he had been plotting revenge while she had been crying herself to sleep. It hurt that she hadn't wanted him to comfort her, perhaps she just didn't want him to see her cry, but he wanted to be there for her. He was still adjusting to the protective and possessive emotions she aroused in him, but he couldn't be there for her if she wouldn't let him.

Suddenly, plotting Weasley's horrific death just didn't have the appeal that it had before. Naturally Draco still wanted the idiotic weasel to die, but now was not the time to think about ways to kill him. In an attempt to distract himself, Draco pulled out his books to study.

Harry and Ron hadn't remained on the quidditch pitch for long after Hermione had stormed off with Malfoy on her heels. Ron was in an exceedingly bad mood. He stomped across the grounds all the way to the common room. He fell into an armchair by there fire, and just sat there sulking. At first Harry had just left him alone, figuring that he would talk faster if he was given some space.

However, Harry had been sitting silently next to Ron for quite some time and Ron seemed to be in as bad a mood as ever. After many fruitless attempts at getting Ron to talk and calm down, Harry suggested they take a walk to help clear their heads. Maybe, go down to the Heads common room and try to work things out with Hermione. Ron reluctantly agreed, so the two slowly walked down the corridor to the portrait of the founders. All the while Harry was reminding Ron to stay calm, and to apologize to Hermione before he said anything else.

Once they arrived at the founders' portrait, they stopped and Harry looked at Ron. Ron took a deep breath and nodded to Harry. Harry knocked on the portrait, which happened to be empty, and then they waited for Hermione to come to the door.

Draco was rereading the same paragraph in his herbology book for the 12th time when he heard the knock at the portrait. 'Oh what now,' he thought miserably. He got up walked to the portrait and opened it, and cursed silently to himself when he saw who it was. "What do you idiots want?" he spat with an angry scowl on his face.

"We need to talk to Hermione," answered Harry, silencing Ron from retorting.

"Well no thanks to this useless slug over here," Draco answered motioning to Ron, "she cried herself to sleep, and I'm not about to wake her up so that you two can upset her again."

"It's her own bloody fault!" shouted Ron, shoving Harry out of the way to lunge towards Draco.

Draco's eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a sneer. He stepped outside the common room and closed the portrait door so Hermione wouldn't be awakened by the shouting. Little did he know that Ron's shout had already managed to pull her from her uneasy slumber. She heard the portrait door close, and she slipped out of bed to ask Draco who it was, but found the room empty. Assuming that Draco was talking to the visitor outside, she began to walk back to bed when she heard Draco's voice yell. She couldn't make out what he said, so she tiptoed next to the portrait to listen to the conversation.

All the rage and frustration that had been building up inside Draco all day was unleashed as soon as the portrait was closed. "The only one who's to blame for this stinking mess is you Weasley!" spat Draco taking a step to close the distance between him and Ron.

"It's not my fault she's being so stupid. How could she do this us, we're supposed to be her best friends! And you're just Malfoy! She's supposed to hate you like the rest of us do because we're her real friends, we're the ones who really care about her!" retorted Ron.

"Oh really, Weasel? Have you ever stopped thinking about yourself and attempted to think of Hermione's feelings even for a second? Have you ever put your emotions and pitiful desires aside and let her be happy with that she wants? Because that is what a best friend would do. It seems that Potter and little Weasley are able to do that. You on the other hand, you think of no one other than yourself, and that makes this your fault," countered Draco without taking a breath.

Harry and Ron were speechless after Draco's words. Harry was stunned that Draco felt that deeply about it and understood Hermione so well, and Ron was just at a loss for a suitable comeback. He stood with his mouth gaping for a moment before turning to Harry, "Can you believe what that pitiful ferret just said about us Harry? He said we weren't good friends to Hermione! Not that I'm surprised, he wouldn't want us hanging around her anyway!" Ron raised his voice at the end and spoke right into Draco's stone cold face.

On the other side of the portrait, Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She opened the door, shoved past Draco and stared daggers directly into Ron's eyes, "Ronald Weasley that is enough!"

The three boys just stared at her blankly. "I thought you said she was asleep!" shouted Ron, his eyes narrowed at Draco.

"I was asleep until your useless shouting woke me up!" yelled Hermione. "And if this is what you came to talk to me about, then the discussion is over. I am not going to sit here and listen to you telling me to leave Draco, because it's not happening! So you can either live with it, or leave me alone because I refuse to deal with your shit every day! Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Draco has never, and would never tell me not to be friends with you or Harry because he knows how much you two mean to me. But if you are going to be an arse and treat me like dirt because of who I'm dating, then we cannot be friends anymore. So it's up to you Ron, if you let it go, then we can try to work things out, but if you're going to keep up like you are, then you've just lost a friend."

Ron opened his mouth, but no sounds came out. He couldn't understand why the girl he loved was treating him like this. He watched pitifully as Hermione turned to step inside the common room once more. Impulsively he charged forward and cried, "But Hermione I love you!"

Harry stared at Ron wide-eyed, and Draco looked ready to kill, but Hermione was the one who spoke. She slid her arm around Draco's waist and spoke quietly, yet firmly, never breaking her harsh eye contact with Ron, "But I love Draco, I'm sorry if you can't accept that." Without another word, she turned and entered the common room. Draco threw an evil glare at Ron daring him to speak, and then he followed Hermione into the room and slammed the portrait behind him.

Harry and Ron stood motionless in front of the portrait. Ron was looking absolutely heartbroken and furious, and Harry was eyeing his friend cautiously. He didn't know what it must feel like to be so openly rejected like that by someone you care so deeply for, but he also didn't understand what Ron thought she would say. Harry couldn't blame Hermione for loving Draco, no matter how much he hated him, Draco had saved her life, and put his desires aside to keep her from harm. Harry just couldn't picture Ron and Hermione having that sort of bond. "Come on mate, lets go to bed you look like you need sleep," muttered Harry as he led his speechless friend back to the Gryffindor common room.

In the Heads common room, Draco was cautiously approaching Hermione, who was sitting on the couch fuming. He took a deep breath to temporarily put his anger aside in order to deal with her sadness. He sat next to her on the couch, and she practically dove into him sobbing. "Draco, I'm tired of this! I'm supposed to be happy; I'm head girl, it's our final year at Hogwarts, I have the best boyfriend in the world, I don't want to cry anymore!"

"I know," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her onto his lap.

Hermione stopped sobbing, but silent tears continued running down her cheeks. "I can't believe Ron told me he loved me, what would he know about love anyway?"

"Nothing like what we know that's for sure," he answered smiling, attempting to lighten the mood a bit.

"Hermione shifted so she could look at Draco's face, she leaned in and kissed him suddenly and deeply. When she broke the kiss she whispered, "Yeah, that's for sure."

At that moment, with that kiss Draco knew that no matter what happened to him, he would be fine as long as Hermione was with him, by his side. He was determined to never let anything happen to them.

When Harry and Ron entered the Gryffindor Common Room, Ginny was sitting in an armchair in front of the fire waiting. When they entered she looked up to see Ron looking white as a ghost and Harry was looking sympathetic. "What happened?" she asked.

Ron closed his eyes as if the question brought him immense pain, so Harry answered for him. He told Ginny everything that had happened from when Draco answered the portrait to when Hermione gave Ron his ultimatum and left. The story left Ginny open-mouthed, gaping at Ron.

"You told her you loved her!" she asked disbelieving.

"I told her the truth!" retorted Ron, finally snapping out of his shocked state.

"But you know she loves Malfoy! Honestly Ron what were you thinking!" Ginny spat back.

"I'm thinking that I'm not about to lose the woman I love to some low down Slytherin git!"

Ginny grabbed Ron's shoulders and stared at him. Their faces were so close that their noses were almost touching. "Ron," she said, keeping her voice firm, yet attempting to sound calm at the same time, "I am telling you this because you're my brother and I don't want to see you or Hermione hurt." Ginny paused to make sure Ron was listening, "you cannot lose someone that you never had! Hermione never knew how you felt until long after she started dating Draco, by that time her heart already belonged to him, and as much as you hate him, you have to admit that he obviously feels the same way. Do yourself and everyone else a favor, put your feelings aside and think about Hermione. If you really value her as a friend, you'll apologize and be happy for her because she's happy."

Ron looked pained as he listened to Ginny, "But it's Malfoy" he whined painfully.

"Ron if you can't get over that, then you are never going to have Hermione as a friend again," stated Ginny bluntly.

"I don't know if I can though. How am I supposed to just stand by while the one I love is with someone else?" he pleaded.

"If you truly care for her, then you'll be happy for her because she's happy," answered Ginny.

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Well, I hope everyone liked the latest chapter. As always, I love hearing what you all think in your reviews, they make me smile :o) 

I don't know if you all are as eager to get to the real action and drama as I am to write about it, but if you are, thenI promise that Voldemort's plot is just about ready to begin, so you'll definitely be hearing more about it in the upcoming chapters.


	12. Chapter 12: Christmas Break

**Disclaimer: **I'm still not J.K. Rowling, so I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **A special thanks goes out to lilith for helping me overcome the evil writers block I experienced in the middle of this chapter. And as always thank you to all my reviewers! You guys are the best ever!

_MrsTomFelton007_ – happy to hear you like the story, and I'm equally happy to know that you recommend my work to other people; it makes me feel so good!  
_Sirius-harry-n-remus_ – the plan is going to be mentioned in this chapter, in a much bigger way than ever before. I think I was as anxious to get to it as you probably are, so I decided to get into it here. Hope you enjoy!  
_Lilith_ – I know, I've been building up to a lot of nothing so far . . . .but not anymore :o) I hope you like it!  
_Karma Chameleon_ – lol poke Ron with a hockey stick! Perhaps that would be the best way to get through to him . . . . thanks for the review!  
_Zuvalupa_ – why thank you. Yes it's true, Hermione's going through a bit of a rough spot, but trust me, that's nothing compared to what I have in store for this fic!  
_elektra30_ – thank you very much. I know what you mean about Ron, but I wanted Draco to get jealous, and that was the only way I could think of to do it without things being too weird. I'm sorry if it seemed a bit rushed (this chapter might seem that way too a bit, but you're right, I'd rather the events be rushed than the fic become boring). Anyway, thanks so much for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!_  
Jaezi, Sunflower18, Alcapacien, Elle Felton922, __Chantal J, Me_ – Thanks for the reviews, glad you guys like it!

Alright, I wasn't planning on going as far as I do in this chapter, but I decided that the fic was moving too slowly. I got tired of dealing with only the emotional stuff and I wanted to get to the more exciting plot stuff, so there's a little touch of it here, with more to come in the next chapter. I hope you like it!

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**Chapter 12: Christmas Break**

It had taken Draco a good hour to fully calm Hermione down after Potter and Weasley had gone. But now, Draco had had a full night to brood over what had happened, and he had been forced to wait all day for an opportunity to make Weasley pay. He had, with great difficulty managed to keep his anger bottled in while he was comforting Hermione and attending class, but now that Hermione was back in the common room working on the yearbook Draco had a chance to let his anger out. He stalked through the halls, determinedly heading towards the castle entrance. Once he arrived, he positioned himself in the shadows of the entrance to the dungeons where he had a hidden view of the entrance to the castle. He knew that the Gryffindor quidditch team was practicing tonight, and they should be coming in any moment. Draco was counting on Weasley being one of the last people to come in, and tonight Draco didn't care if Potter was with him. He'd take them both down if he needed to; he didn't give a damn as long as he got to kick the pathetic weasel's ass.

He was growing more impatient by the second. His wand was out and he was itching to use it. He was only too conscious of the feel of the wood between his fingers, 10 ½" of ebony wood with a core of dragon heartstring just begging to be used. Draco's ears were pricked for the slightest sound, his eyes locked on the door ready for it to open. As soon as he saw that red-headed idiot, he was going to attack, but suddenly he heard a soft sound behind him. He couldn't make out what it was, but it was steadily growing louder. Draco stuffed his wand back into his pocket and turned to glare at the intruder, in his head he was violently cursing whoever it was who decided to interrupt his stakeout. He was ready to lash out when he more clearly heard what the sound was, fast approaching footsteps and hurried breathing. When he saw the figure of Blaise emerging from the depths of the dungeons, some of his fury diminished.

"Draco!" cried Blaise desperately, "I was just coming to find you!"

"Why," Draco asked slowly, keeping his guard up.

"Draco, you gotta help me! They want to initiate me after the first of the year, and they're not just gonna initiate me, they gave me an initiation task!"

Draco's heart skipped a beat, with everything else going on, he had completely forgotten about Blaise's impending initiation. He hadn't even begun to think about how to help Blaise get out of it alive. "What do they want you to do?" His voice was calm and stony, but inside he was completely losing it, there were just too many things to think about, and he was completely at a loss for what to do.

Blaise gulped, "they want me to deliver a mudblood to kill at the initiation ceremony, and . . ." Blaise stopped; he suddenly seemed unable to speak.

Draco's blood ran cold. Instantly his mind flashed to Hermione, and his protective instincts began working in overdrive pumping loads of adrenaline through him. Suddenly, he had an overwhelming need to know that she was alright, thoughts such as, 'where is she right now?' and 'Is she alright?' were running through his mind. "And what?" he asked Blaise sternly, even though every fiber in his being told him that he did not want to hear the answer to that question.

"Well," Blaise definitely wasn't meeting Draco's eye now. "They don't want me to bring just anyone." Blaise paused again, finally forcing himself to look Draco in the eye, "Pansy volunteered Granger as the one I must deliver to them."

Draco felt his insides turn to ice. His mind was swirling with a sudden parade of thoughts, all clamoring for attention, none of the thoughts pleasant. For a long time, Draco stood, staring blankly at nothing, he heard nothing but the swirling dread of his own thoughts. Amidst all the things that were suddenly racing through his brain, one thought remained crystal clear, he had to protect Hermione. Slowly his eyes focused on the frightened looking figure of Blaise standing awkwardly in front of him. But he did not see the same Blaise he had known since he came to Hogwarts. The Blaise who was standing in front of him now was dangerous. Draco's jaw tightened resolutely, if it came between helping Blaise and protecting Hermione, there was no question what he was going to do. Draco took a step back from Blaise, his brow slowly furrowing as he did.

Blaise saw the decision forming in Draco's mind, his eyes widened and his mouth hung open slightly. "Draco please!"

But Draco's eyes were narrowing; they were the color of dark charcoal, and they were completely closed off. Suddenly, Draco wondered what he was doing here. What the fuck did he care about pummeling Weasley into a pulp when Hermione was all alone and potentially in danger? He looked at Blaise with disgust. Blaise took a careful step towards Draco, a look of near terror on his face, "Draco please, that's why you have to help me! I could never . . . Draco you know I wouldn't."

Draco continued glaring at Blaise, who was wearing a very odd unreadable expression. His face looked worried enough, but there was something guarded about his eyes, something Draco could not place. But it made his protective instincts run in overdrive. He sidestepped Blaise just as the door to the castle burst open, revealing the Gryffindor quidditch team. Five of the players passed the two Slytherins without so much as a second glance, but Harry and Ron stopped short at the sight of Malfoy.

Ron looked absolutely ready to kill, and Harry seemed to be torn between wanting to attack Malfoy, and wanting to stop Ron from making any stupid decisions. But neither of the Gryffindors got the chance to do anything. Draco glared angrily at them, threw a quick warning glance at Blaise, turned on his heel and stalked off, his cloak billowing out behind him in a manner very reminiscent of Snape.

Ron and Harry stood still in the entryway. They were looking harshly between Draco and Blaise. Blaise was watching Draco's retreating figure with a look of determination on his face. He mumbled something to himself that Harry and Ron could barely even hear, and then he disappeared into the dark depths of the dungeons.

"What was that all about?" Harry mused.

But Ron wasn't listening; he was silently fuming and continuing to glare in the direction Draco had gone. Harry looked at his friend and let out a heavy sigh, it took quite a forceful shove to get Ron to finally move and walk to the common room.

Over the next month Draco constantly kept his eye out for Hermione. He made absolutely sure she was never alone around any Slytherins other than him; he wasn't going to take any chances. But he still felt uneasy. As Christmas break crept closer, he became more anxious, and his mind started racing trying to think of ways to get Hermione and Blaise (but mainly Hermione) out of this mess.

Amazingly enough, he managed to keep his anxiety hidden from Hermione which considering how well she had learned to read him, was no small feat. The yearbook served to keep her occupied most of the time. She was always trying to create the perfect layout, and figure out what magical additions she wanted to make to the pages. So far she had decided that each of the house sections would be introduced with a page featuring their mascot, which would seem to leap, slither, or fly off the page when the book was opened to that section.

While at first Weasley had utterly refused to apologize, it seemed as if he missed Hermione as a friend too much to keep it up. So with immense difficulty on his part, he managed to apologize and restrained himself from acting on his jealous feelings. He still felt them when he saw Hermione with Draco, but at least he wasn't acting on them anymore.

Hermione was finally happy with everything that was going on in her life. Things had finally worked out with her friends, she got to spend a reasonable amount of time with Draco, classes were coming along great, the yearbook was turning out to be better than she expected, and Christmas break was fast approaching. Draco loved seeing the joy in her eyes at being truly happy. There were a few times when he had been on the verge of telling her about Blaise, but the thought of seeing the joy in her eyes die and be replaced with fear was too much for him to bear. So with a feeling as if he was shouldering an extremely heavy load, he kept the problem entirely to himself.

He and Blaise had spoken on a few occasions, though Draco would not allow Blaise to go anywhere near Hermione at any time, even if Draco was there with them. Still, in the week before break, he and Blaise had come no closer to finding a solution to the problem, and Draco was growing desperate. Once school was over, and they no longer had classes to distract them, Hermione began to notice how Draco was acting differently. She couldn't put her finger on it at first, but something was definitely different, and it wasn't necessarily bad. When he held her she felt as if he was afraid to let her go for fear he would lose her. She liked the feeling; she liked feeling like he would be there to protect him no matter what.

In the week before Christmas, Hermione did her best to split her time fairly between Draco and her friends. It helped that Harry, Ron and Ginny all liked to play quidditch in the snow, so while they were out playing, Hermione got to be with Draco.

Draco had been very worried that Pansy would find some reason to stay over the break, but luckily she did not, so Draco felt slightly more comfortable. He and Blaise were the only Slytherin seventh years to stay, along with one Ravenclaw, one Hufflepuff, and the four Gryffindors. Draco used the time Hermione spent with her friends to talk to Blaise and try to come up with a solution to the fast approaching problem. But still, no revelation came to him, and even in the face of the upcoming holiday, Draco found himself growing antsy.

When Christmas finally came, Draco slowly drifted out of sleep. He was relieved to still feel Hermione sleeping soundly next to him. He was glad that she was willing to share a room while they slept over the holidays, for multiple reasons, but the most important being that if they were together, he didn't need to worry about her somehow being attacked in her sleep. Draco looked at the clock next to his bed, decided it was time for both of them to get up, so he leaned over and planted several small kisses on Hermione's forehead and face.

She woke up with a small giggle, her cheeks flushing pink. Her chocolate brown eyes open to meet his silver ones, "I like waking up like that," she whispered as he continued to kiss her.

Once he realized that she was awake, his kisses moved to her lips, which she gladly returned. "Interesting," he spoke in between kisses, "I enjoy waking you up like that."

Hermione giggled. The two were about to get a little more involved with each other when there was a loud knock at the portrait. "Hermione!" called Ginny's muffled voice.

Draco was on his side partially leaning over Hermione. He could see her attention begin to drift away from him. "Just ignore them," he whispered with a touch of impatience, pressing down onto her and kissing her hard before she could protest. At first she pushed against him a bit, but it didn't take much persuasion on his part to get her to stop. She was even beginning to urge him on when her friends again interrupted. This time the knocking was louder, and three voices called her name. Draco threw himself off Hermione and walked directly into his bathroom, closing the door much harder than he would normally.

Apparently the three Gryffindors outside must have gotten the message that someone was not pleased with their presence because the knocking and calling abruptly stopped. Hermione let out a frustrated sigh, and hastily extricated herself from Draco's bedding. She then rushed out to the common room by the entrance, "Hey guys!" she called, attempting to sound cheerful, "I'll be out in just a minute, just hang on."

"Okay," answered Ginny, her voice sounding slightly hesitant.

Hermione then raced into her room, and quickly put on a change of clothes. She ran a brush through her hair, not that it helped to tame it much, but still it was better than nothing. Hermione glanced at herself in the mirror, deemed herself presentable, and went to open the portrait door. "Hey guys!" she greeted, doing her best not to sound as out of breath as she felt.

"Hey Hermione," they answered.

"Hermione we loved our gifts" said Ron happily, as he munched on some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.

"Isn't it a little early for sweets Ron?" Hermione asked disapprovingly.

"Of course not, it's Christmas!" answered Ron, "so how'd you like your presents?"

"Oh, umm I haven't opened them yet, I was waiting til you guys got here," Hermione lied.

"If we had known you were going to wait, we would have waited to open yours too!" said Harry.

"That's ok, "assured Hermione, "come on it, and I'll open them now." Hermione led her friends into her room. Her eyes widened when she realized that her bed was still perfectly made due to the fact that she hadn't slept in her bed for the past few nights. Luckily for Hermione, the only other person who seemed to notice the tidy state of Hermione's bed was Ginny. The observant red head managed to put that together with the angry door slam she had heard before Hermione had let them in. Ginny didn't say anything, though she did send Hermione a knowing look, which caused Hermione to blush deep red. Hermione quickly focused entirely on opening her gifts in an effort to hide her crimson cheeks, but that didn't help hide Ginny's sudden fit of giggles.

"What's so funny?" asked Harry. But Ginny just shook her head and continued to giggle. The two boys shrugged at each other and returned their attention to Hermione, who had by now managed to return her cheeks to their normal color.

The four Gryffindors didn't linger in Hermione's common room too long, mostly because Hermione wasn't entirely sure how angry Draco was at the interruption and she wanted desperately to avoid a conflict this year. The memory of what had happened last year was all to clear in her mind, and she had no intention of allowing any of them to repeat the experience. The friends spent most of the day outside in the snow having snowball fights, sliding along the ice, and building figures in the snow. They only went inside when it was time to prepare for Christmas dinner.

Draco was in the common room when Hermione entered, wet with snow and out of breath. She approached him cautiously. He watched her approach with an unreadable expression. He had decided soon after Hermione's friends arrived that he was going to forget about what had happened that morning because he wasn't in the mood to be in a bad mood. Still, a large part of him loved teasing Hermione like this. He knew she was apprehensive and probably expected him to still be upset. He was interested in seeing how she chose to deal with the situation.

As he had hoped, she chose to deal with the situation by appealing to his physical desires. She walked up to him and wrapped her hands around his neck. "I'm sorry about this morning," she said softly.

Draco made no response except to roll his eyes.

Hermione looked alluringly into his eyes "I was hoping that maybe after dinner we could maybe pick up where we left off?" She kissed him lightly, just to give him a little taste.

"Mmmm" Draco licked his lips and gave Hermione a provocative grin.

The two prepared for dinner, then walked down together hand in hand. They entered, and made their way to the circular table at the front of the room. They seated themselves so that Draco was in between professor Snape and Hermione. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were on the other side seated next to professor McGonagall. Draco noticed that there were only three seats left, a fact which he brought up in a quiet conversation with professor Snape in which he was informed that Blaise was ill and would not be coming to dinner. Dinner, surprisingly enough, passed without an incident. Everyone was even nice to one another, though that was probably because Draco refrained from speaking the entire time.

After dinner, when everyone got up, Draco paused. He whispered to Hermione that he was going to go down to the dungeons to check on Blaise and that he would be up soon. Hermione nodded and left with the other Gryffindors, who were all chatting happily now that their stomachs were filled with entirely too much Christmas dinner. Draco exited the Hall, but he did not go to the dungeons. He had been seriously debating all day whether or not he should tell Dumbledore about Pansy being a Death Eater, and about Blaise's initiation and initiation task. But his pride was screaming at him to keep his mouth shut about it. Draco was standing outside the Hall, filled with indecision when the doors opened and professor Dumbledore stepped out.

"Mr. Malfoy?" said professor Dumbledore genially, "is there something you wish to speak to me about?"

'How does the annoying bastard always know?' Draco thought to himself. But having been unprepared to make a decision, and feeling cornered, Draco's instincts kicked in and he immediately closed his mind off. He smirked politely "No professor, I don't think so."

"Of course," nodded professor Dumbledore. Then, without another word, he turned and made his way towards his office.

Draco shook his head; he was surprised that Dumbledore had not questioned him further. Perhaps the old man had finally realized that attempting to get information out of Draco was futile when he wasn't willing to provide it.

Even so, Draco walked back to the common room, his mind plagued with indecision. 'Should I have told Dumbledore? It wouldn't have done any good right? That would just make Voldemort angrier, and put everyone in more danger, especially once they graduated. So really, there was no reason to tell Dumbledore, right?' Draco did his best to convince himself that not telling Dumbledore was the right thing to do, and when he focused on how damaged his pride would be, he believed himself. But when he approached the founders' portrait and a vision of Hermione swam through his head, he gulped with the thought that perhaps he shouldn't let his pride interfere with her safety. 'But she was safe now; he was making sure of that. Blaise would never be able to hurt her as long as Draco was around.

"Ehhemm" a stern voice cleared their throat, thereby interrupting Draco's thoughts. Salazar was looking at him expectantly. "Well, don't stand there all day, we've got better things to do on Christmas then watch you stand there!"

Draco smirked at the painting, "Credo dans fatum."

"About time!" shouted Salazar as Draco opened the portrait and entered the common room.

Hermione looked delighted when Draco entered, Draco returned her smile, and moved slowly towards her. "I was just about ready to go looking for you," she said sweetly.

"Can't bear to be without me for over ten minutes? Now really Hermione, I know I'm irresistibly charming, but isn't that just a little much?" Draco teased with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione stood up and pursed her lips playfully, "have I told you lately how egotistical you are?"

"Me? Egotistical? NEVER!" Draco, put his hand to his chest and pretended to be mortally offended.

"Right," Hermione laughed with a roll of her eyes, she took his hand in hers and suddenly pulled him over to her room, come on I want to give you your present!"

Draco allowed her to drag him across the room, but before she could pull him fully into her room, he let go. She gave him an exasperated look as he stepped away. Without a word, he swept into his room. Hermione heard him open his trunk and rummage through it until he found whatever he was searching for. When he returned to his doorway, he had both his hands behind his back. He sauntered casually back towards her, with a restrained grin on his lips. Hermione beamed at him, and sat down on her bed as he approached. He seated himself next to her, and at once they exchanged gifts. Hermione was very surprised by the package she received. The year before, Draco had given her a necklace (which she still wore every day), and she had honestly been expecting him to get her some other extravagant piece of jewelry. She wasn't really the jewelry type, with the exception of the necklace, but that was still what she had been expecting Draco to give her. But the package she now held, wrapped in shimmering silver and gold wrapping paper, was rather large and surprisingly heavy.

Draco chuckled at the look of curiosity in her eyes, for once he was more concerned with her reaction to what he got her than he was about what it was that she got him. Hermione looked up at him, a hungry look of excitement in her eyes, "well open it!" she urged.

Draco smiled and leaned back, placing the gift in his lap and putting his hands behind him for support, "nah, I think I like the anticipation more."

Hermione let out a frustrated noise, and pulled on Draco's arm, "come on, we'll open them at the same time."

"Alright," Draco agreed.

The pair tore into their gifts at the same time, but before Draco took his out, he looked up at Hermione. The gold and silver wrapping paper lay littered on the ground, and Hermione was gazing with wonder at her gift. "Draco, it's . . . wonderful."

Draco smiled with relief, he wasn't sure if getting Hermione a book would seem to predictable, but he knew that she would like it, and judging from the way she was gazing at it with delight, he had made the right decision.

Hermione traced her fingers over the cursive lettering on the cover, "Draco it's . . . . . perfect," she breathed. The title read _A Child's Fantasy: A Collection of Classic Tales_. Hermione carefully opened the cover as if she was handling the most precious treasure in the world. Inside was an index of dozens of stories, all of which she was dying to read. "Do you know them all?" she asked as she browsed the titles.

"Some better than others, but I've heard them all," responded Draco, his voice quiet and deep.

"You know," Hermione said as she turned the page, "you promised me you would finish telling me that story you began in Hogsmeade, and I have yet to hear the rest."

Draco grinned; he had known that she was going to ask him to finish the story once she got the book. He chuckled as he gazed lovingly at her and her delight over a book.

"Hey!" Hermione cried as she looked up at Draco, "you didn't finish opening your present!"

Draco's head drifted down to where his gift was sitting in his lap. He had been so focused on Hermione that he had actually forgotten about his own present. It was wrapped in red and green Christmas paper which Draco finished tearing and, allowing it to fall to the floor. He held a small completely plain black box, with a gold clasp holding it shut. Draco released the clasp and opened the cover. Inside, curled up and fast asleep was a miniature model of a wyvern. The figure lifted its head as the light hit it, and opened its eyes. It looked up at Draco, and let out a miniature roar, baring its miniscule teeth. Its serpent tail uncurled and curled again, it looked like a dog wagging its tail.

Hermione was watching Draco apprehensively. She was biting her lower lip, and her eyes were wide, she seriously didn't know if he would like the gift. It was one of those things that had seemed perfect at the time, but now she was not so sure. "You know," she said, clearly sounding as if she were apologizing, "You're not the easiest person to shop for. I mean what can you get for someone who can already afford everything, and has finicky tastes?"

A small smile spread across Draco's face. Hermione opened her mouth to begin making more excuses, but Draco was too fast for her. He saw her mouth open immediately he silenced her with a kiss. The kiss was deep and filled with desire. Hermione felt herself grow weak; she clung to Draco for support as he slowly broke the kiss. Their faces were centimeters apart when Draco spoke in a husky whisper, "Hermione, I love it."

"Really?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"It's perfect," Draco leaned in and kissed Hermione again. She eagerly returned the gesture, moving closer to him as she did. He leaned into her, his tongue hungrily requesting entrance into her mouth. Her lips quickly parted, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth, until hers decided that it wanted to do a little exploring of its own. The two battled for dominance, each allowing the other to win the fight only momentarily before reentering the battle.

Once they were both out of breath, they settled on lying with each other watching Draco's new wyvern figure fly around the room. Draco was especially delighted when he found that the model could really breathe fire, albeit it was only a two inch blast at most, but it was still cool. The figure had settled itself back in its padded box and was now snoozing happily, small puffs of smoke occasionally emitting from its nostrils.

Draco was lying against Hermione's pillows, with Hermione cuddled up next to him. Draco had his eyes closed and was breathing peacefully. Hermione meanwhile was staring at the wyvern without really seeing it. "Draco?" she whispered.

Draco made a noise to indicate he had heard her.

"Can I hear the rest of the story?" she asked hopefully.

Draco breathed in deep and opened his eyes. He began stroking her hair as he started to tell the story from where he had left off. "Let's see," he began, "we left off when Ramon had escaped the wyvern and gotten into the castle."

"Yup," agreed Hermione. She anxiously cuddled closer to him, eager to hear the rest of the story.

"So, Ramon, searches through the castle until he finds the chief's daughter locked in one of the dungeon cells. But when he tries to break her out, an alarm sounds, and he suddenly finds himself surrounded by the thieves."

Draco continued the story well into the night. He told Hermione how he overcame the thieves in the castle. He told her about his adventures with the chiefs' daughter as they returned to the village. They seemed to run into every major beast Hermione had ever heard of. Dragons, manticores, even a nundu! And the wyvern seemed to constantly be pursuing them throughout the entire journey. It seemed to show up whenever they thought they were safe. Several times, Hermione found herself unconsciously holding her breath as Draco would be describing the details of one of their many dangerous encounters. It quickly became clear to Hermione why this was one of Draco's favorite stories as a child, the danger just never ended. It was early in the morning when Draco finished the story. Hermione liked the end where Ramon realized that he didn't want the reward the chief had offered. Over the course of the journey he and the daughter had fallen in love and all he wanted was to be with her. Hermione found it incredibly romantic; Draco on the other hand gagged.

"It's such a disappointing end to an otherwise awesome story," Draco mused once he was finished telling it.

"Of course that would be your interpretation," Hermione chastised. But then she smiled and gave him a sweet kiss, "thank you for telling me the end even though you didn't like it."

"Yeah well," Draco shrugged, "you probably would have read it anyway, and then I never would have heard the end of it for telling you a better ending."

Hermione laughed, "you are utterly impossible."

The next day, Draco told Hermione that he was going to spend the day with Blaise, and make sure he was feeling alright. Hermione on the other hand decided on spending the day with her friends. Draco had met up with Blaise in the Slytherin Common Room. Blaise looked an absolute mess.

"Draco, I gotta get out, I can't stand being cooped up in this castle anymore I'm going crazy," pleaded Blaise.

"What are you saying?" asked Draco skeptically.

"I don't know, can't we like go to Hogsmeade to talk about it, anything. I just can't take it here anymore!" cried Blaise.

Draco considered this. If Blaise was in Hogsmeade with him, then Hermione was definitely safe at the castle with her friends. The more he thought about it, the better the idea sounded. Plus, perhaps it would do his brain good to get away. Maybe the new surroundings would prompt a new solution that they had yet to think of.

As much as he hated to admit it, the fact that Hermione was going to spend the whole day with her friends was a big relief to Draco. Of course, as wizards and as human beings in general, Potter and Weasley were completely useless. But, as Draco knew from personal experience, they made excellent guard dogs whenever they felt Hermione was in the least amount of danger. That knowledge much better about not being with her in the castle, and even allowed him to overlook the thought that Weasley would probably be pathetically attempting to flirt with her. Without having to worry about Hermione, Draco was able to focus completely on Blaise and his initiation. The ceremony was looming closer by the second, like a vulture circling over some dead meat. Dead meat, that was exactly what Blaise would be in a week. Draco could see no visible way out, except . . . . . the thought that had been passing through his mind with annoying frequency recently. They could go to Dumbledore, Dumbledore would at least be able to keep them safe while they were at Hogwarts. Draco scowled at himself for thinking the thought yet again; asking that crazy old coot for anything would be a huge blow to Draco's pride, a blow which he was not willing to deal himself. Not to mention the fact that pitifully asking Dumbledore for help is exactly the sort of thing a Gryffindor would do, a thought which made Draco utterly disgusted with himself.

Draco was so focused on his winding train of thought that he was blind to where they were walking. If he had been paying more attention, perhaps he would have stopped sooner. Yet he remained completely unaware until they stepped inside the pub and Draco recognized his surroundings. He stopped short, they were in the Hog's Head. A place Draco was not so keen on entering ever again, yet here they were. It was too late to turn back now, and if he said anything he would look like a pathetic coward. After a questioning look from Blaise, Draco followed him to a table hidden in the corner. The table was small and wooden; there was an unlit candle in the center, and two menus lying next to the candle.

Draco could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, as if afraid someone was going to leap out and attack him if he wasn't careful. As he sat down, something deep inside him set off an alarm response. Suddenly he was jumpy and paranoid, something just wasn't right. What that something was, Draco had no chance to figure out because all his concentration was spent maintaining a cool exterior.

Blaise seemed almost unnaturally calm. In the back of his mind, it registered to Draco that Blaise's behavior was very unlike how he had been acting recently. Lately he had been panicky and constantly looking terrified, now however, he almost looked relieved.

"Let's get something to eat," suggested Blaise, "might help us think or something." Blaise slid the top menu over to his side of the table, and opened it. Draco tried to shake his unease off, but no sooner had he picked up the menu than he felt a sharp tug around the area of his navel, as if an invisible hook was pulling him through the air. The tugging ceased quickly and Draco found himself in a dungeon of sorts. He had no clue where he was, but he knew by the lack of torches on the wall that this was not a Hogwarts dungeon.

Before he even had a chance to properly gain his bearings, two massive figures covered in black cloaks lifted Draco and shoved him against the stone wall. They bound his wrists and ankles in tight chains. Draco struggled violently against them, but the men were too strong for him. He heard them grunt as he kicked at them, but it was no use, within a moment they had him tightly bound with no chance of escape.

It was only then that Draco got a proper look at them, they were not just wearing cloaks, they were wearing masks, Death Eater masks. Draco stared at them in wide eyed fury, what the hell was going on? How could he have let himself fall into a trap like this? Just then, there was a loud pop, and a third figure appeared. This one was also wearing a black cloak, but no mask. Draco could see his face perfectly, it was the face of the one he thought he could trust, it was the face of Blaise Zabini.

"What the hell is going on!" shouted Draco at Blaise.

Blaise smirked and sniggered as did the two hulking Death Eaters who had bound Draco to the wall. One other person was laughing as well, someone who Draco hadn't noticed before. But he certainly recognized that laugh. That annoying, shrill laugh belonged to Pansy Parkinson. Draco glared at her, of course he couldn't see her face behind the mask, but he could almost feel the haughty smirk she was sending him.

As Draco stared in shock at Blaise, Pansy and the other two Death Eaters, he desperately thought 'this is a dream, this is just another nightmare.' His desperation mounted when he saw a fifth Death Eater fade in from the shadows and raise his wand. The spell his Draco squarely in the chest and the white hot needles of pain from the cruciatus curse consumed his body. This was obviously not a dream, this was real life, and it was worse than Hell.

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AHHH! What's going to happen to Draco! Is Hermione going to be alright!  
_Cue the suspenceful music  
_I will do my best to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. As always, reviews are welcomed and very much appreciated (they really motivate me to work hard on the next chapter too!) _hint hint ;o)_


	13. Chapter 13: Phase One is Complete

**Disclaimer: **Same old stuff, obviously by the fact that I write fanfics, I am not J.K. Rowling, and therefore I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait, but I was working on a student film for 16 hours a day for 4 days, so I had no time to think about anything else for a while. Besides that, I've again been experiencing writers block for this chapter. (However I have been working on things to come later, so I have been writing tons). Anyway, thank you to all my reviewers, you guys give me the determination to continue writing even when the dreaded writers block threatens to stop me. You guys are the greatest!

_jesska-14_ – glad to hear you like the suspense so much! Thanks for the review!  
_Ice Queen_ – yay I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the first fic, and are enjoying this one as well, thanks so much for the review!  
_Chantal J, __Sunflower18, Danni Felton, zuvalupa_ – thanks for the reviews, glad you guys like it!  
_Alcapacien_ – yes, very evil traitor Blaise! Grrr lol I'm glad you liked the gifts, I wasn't sure if they would sound silly or not, so I'm happy to hear you liked them. Thanks for the review!  
_Hermione Weasley192_ – You're back! Yay! Heheheh yes I know it was mean of me to leave it there, but I think the suspense makes it better. Sorry to hear about the virus, damn those computer viruses! Sorry the update took so long too, but I will do my best to post the next one sooner, I promise. Anyway, I'm happy to hear from you again, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_Karma Chameleon_ – did you get the pic of the wyvern? Basically it just had the front half of a dragon, and the back half of a snake (picture it like a dragon with only two front legs and no back legs). I hope that helps. Anyway I'm so happy that you like the suspense, and I hope you like this chapter too!  
_DemonicFairie_ – yes, his worry for Hermione blinded him to the danger he was in, so sad I know. Poor Draco. Anyway, congrats on overcoming your writers block and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Now let see what is going to happen to our hero and heroine?

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**Chapter 13: Phase One is Complete**

Hermione decided to sleep in the day that Draco was going into Hogsmeade with his friend Zabini. Draco had been oddly vague about why he and Zabini were going into Hogsmeade. He had told her that Zabini was all alone in Slytherin house, and could probably use some company for at least a little while. But why they were going to Hogsmeade instead of staying around the castle, Draco never said. But Hermione didn't think much of it; it wasn't as if they could be up to anything in Hogsmeade after all. Besides, she was looking forward to a day of hanging around the Gryffindor common room, like the old days.

She woke up just when she felt the light from the common room hit her eyes. Usually the sunlight would have woken her much earlier, however last night she had slept in Draco's room and he still preferred to keep the drapes closed while he was sleeping. He must have seen her moving around in the bed as he was leaving, because before she opened her eyes, she felt him hovering over her. She smiled as he leaned down, kissed her lightly on the forehead, and whispered 'I love you'. She kept her eyes shut until she heard the quiet sound of the portrait door closing behind Draco as he left.

Once she was alone, she found it difficult to leave the soft comfort that was Draco's bed. She rolled over so that she was lying on her stomach, face down into Draco's pillows. She deeply breathed in his sweet pungent scent. The smell made her smile, and for a long moment she continued lying there, not particularly eager to leave. Still, she had plans for the day, so after a moment she forced herself to untangle her body from his sheets and exit his room. It didn't take her long to prepare for the day; admittedly, she didn't try as hard to make herself look as nice as she could when she knew she would not be seeing Draco. It wasn't that she looked sloppy or anything, and it wasn't as if she had meant to dress herself up ever, but unconsciously she had developed a few new beauty habits that she skipped over this morning with the thought that no one would be seeing her (or rather the thought that Draco would not be seeing her), so it didn't matter how she looked. She was a bit surprised when she realized that she had changed her usual routines for him even if it was only slightly, it wasn't that she was bothered by the idea, it just took her a bit by surprise because it had taken her so long to realize it. As she ran the brush through her thick hair she wondered just when the changes had started taking place and how she could have not noticed them for so long in the first place.

She shrugged at her reflection in the mirror, than grabbed her book bag filled with yearbook supplies and skipped down the hall to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Hermione cheerily gave the Fat Lady the password, and then stepped inside. Ginny, Ron and Harry were huddled up by the fire in much the same manner as they always stood when they were discussing something that they did not want people to overhear. "Hey guys," she said with interest, "what's going on?"

The three whipped around at the sudden interruption, but visibly relaxed when they saw it was only Hermione. "It's nothing, these two are just overreacting," answered Harry, throwing a disgruntled glance at Ron and Ginny.

"When was the last time it happened?" asked Ginny, ignoring Harry's previous statement.

"I don't know, it's been tingling a lot recently, so I'm just been ignoring it," answered Harry with frustration.

Both Hermione's and Ginny's eyed widened with surprise. Hermione now had a very good idea of what they were talking about, but before she could ask, Ginny spoke first, "But Harry, it never bothered you all morning, don't you think that's cause for concern?"

Hermione frowned, "your scar's burning again?"

Harry sighed, admitting defeat, "yeah, it's been tingling since last night, and it seems to be getting stronger."

Hermione sent Harry a look which clearly said that she agreed with Ron and Ginny, "Harry I think you should tell Dumbledore."

"Tell him what!" Harry roared, "it's not like there's anything he can do about it! And we all already know that Voldemort is out there plotting my demise."

Ron flinched at Voldemorts name, but Hermione just sighed, "He would still want to know Harry," she insisted.

After a long moment of loud silence, Ron finally spoke. "Why don't we all just go get and early lunch, then we can think about this more later."

"Honestly Ron!" cried Ginny, "is food the only thing you ever think about?"

That caused Harry and Hermione to laugh, and Ron's ears to redden. Yet it did serve to relieve some of the tension, and they still followed Ron's suggestion and trooped down to the Great Hall.

But food, Harry found, did not help. The tingling along his scar was steadily growing worse, and it was becoming harder and harder for him to ignore the dull throbbing pain. While he didn't say anything about it, his friends seemed to sense it. They kept throwing him concerned glances, which only made him angrier. He felt as though they thought he was going to spontaneously combust at any moment.

At the risk of seriously annoying Harry, Hermione was about to open her mouth to again suggest that he go talk to Dumbledore. But Ron spoke first, and after his suggestion, Hermione knew she had no chance of convincing Harry to follow her advice, even if it was loads more helpful.

"Why don't we go play quidditch Harry? That always helps," suggested Ron.

"Yeah," agreed Ginny, "Hermione and I will watch, and then Hermione you can show me how the yearbook stuff is coming."

"Alright," Harry nodded.

Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes, but other than that, made no effort to protest. 'Boys' she thought to herself, 'think that flying and quidditch solve everything!' The thought had started out with a frustrated tone, but the end had caused her to remember what it had felt like when Draco took her flying. 'Maybe on some level it does,' she shrugged to herself.

The girls waited for the boys to retrieve their broomsticks, and then together they made their way down to the quidditch pitch. It was rather cold outside, so Hermione conjured one of her portable fires too keep her and Ginny warm while they sat in the stands. Harry and Ron were passing the quaffle back and forth, pretending to be dodging other players and bludgers, and occasionally sending it soaring through one of the tall goals.

Hermione and Ginny watched them for a short while, and then Hermione pulled out the rough draft copy of the yearbook she had put together. "It's still a work in progress, and I've reserved pages for the upcoming quidditch matches and stuff like that. I know it may not look very great now, but I'm still figuring out what needs to be added." Hermione rambled.

"Hermione," interrupted Ginny, "chill out, I'm sure it's coming along great."

Ginny took the large stack of parchments that Hermione had put together and began flipping through the pages.

Hermione nervously watched on, eager to hear what Ginny had to say, and afraid that she would think it was bad. She jumped slightly when Ginny finally spoke.

"What's going here?" she asked, pointing to the blank area next to the picture of professor Dumbledore.

"Oh, That's going to be a message from Dumbledore, he hasn't gotten it back to me yet. But when he does, I was thinking of charming the message so that they make an image of a phoenix most of the time. The when you touch your wand to them, they'll transform into the message."

"Ooooo that sounds awesome Hermione. You'll have to let me know about all the little charms you put on stuff, I don't want to miss any of them!"

Hermione smiled, "don't worry; I'll definitely let you know."

Ginny continued flipping through the pages, everyone once and a while she stopped to take a closer look at something. She particularly enjoyed the photo pages, which were just collages of candid photos of the students, but they brought back the best memories.

Occasionally Hermione would interrupt in order to show Ginny a charm on one of the pages, such as the Hogsmeade section where you could tap your wand on the photos and a three dimensional image, similar to a muggle hologram, would pop off of the page and allow you to see the chosen shop up close, and it even allowed you to look inside, as if you were looking inside a dollhouse. That charm had taken Hermione a lot of work to pull off, but she was very proud of it. Yet other than that, for the most part, Hermione remained quietly watching the boys as they zoomed around the pitch.

"Awww how cute," Ginny cooed, smiling deviously at Hermione.

Hermione looked over to see what Ginny was talking about, and immediately felt a blush creeping in. Ginny had reached the seventh year student pages, which began with a spread about the Head Boy and Girl. They each got their own page, but there was one picture of the two of them together that Hermione had added one night when she had been in a particularly daring mood. She had been debating whether or not she wanted to use the photo, and in the end she gritted her teeth and added it. But now with Ginny's reaction, she seriously considered removing it. It wasn't an embarrassing photo or anything, but to her it felt very personal. She couldn't explain why, really, it was just a photo Colin Creevy had taken of the two of them specifically to put in the yearbook. They were just standing next to each other, but Hermione's photographic self was smiling wide and laughing. Meanwhile Draco's image was smirking, though not in a manner that made him look mean, and he either had his arm around Hermione's waist or the two were holding hands. Their photographic selves would look between each other, with a loving gaze, and the camera. Hermione really liked the photo, but it almost seemed to her as if she were putting far too much of her personal life out on a limb but keeping the photo in. "I don't think that's staying," Hermione said finally, "I was just trying it out, but I don't think I'm keeping it there."

"Aww come on Hermione, it's a good picture of the two of you, you should keep it," insisted Ginny.

"I don't know," mumbled Hermione.

"It's staying, I'm going to make sure of it," announced Ginny.

Hermione began giggling, though she didn't exactly know why.

Ginny was smiling and glancing over the seventh year student pages when they heard Ron scream, "HARRY!"

Both girls whipped their heads up in time to see Harry falling from his broomstick. Luckily he was not too high off the ground, and the snow cushioned his fall. "Harry!" they cried.

Hermione hastily stuffed the stack of parchments back into her bad, and followed Ginny running down to the field. By the time they reached the ground, Ron was kneeling next to Harry who was laying on the ground, clutching his scar, and moaning in agony.

"What happened?" asked Ginny, attempting to catch her breath.

"I dunno," answered Ron, "I think his scar must have suddenly started killing him or something."

Harry shut his eyes tight, trying to block out the sudden pain, which was slowly dying down. He attempted to sit up and open his eyes. Though it was difficult, as the light seemed to make his head hurt even more.

"Harry?" Hermione was on pins and needles, wondering what happened.

"Something happened," breathed Harry finally, "He's really happy about something." He couldn't explain how he knew that, but he knew that the feeling of happiness which had accompanied the pain in his scar had certainly not been his own.

"What happened Harry?" asked Hermione.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it must be really bad, cause he's really happy," answered Harry.

"Maybe you _should_ go to Dumbledore mate," suggested Ron cautiously.

"Yeah . . .maybe," agreed Harry finally, not knowing what else to do.

Ron helped Harry to his feet, and Ginny grabbed his broom. The group hurriedly plowed through the snow back to the castle. Suddenly all Harry could think about was getting to Dumbledore, he didn't know what had happened, but Dumbledore needed to know that something was going on.

They were traveling so fast that when Harry skidded to a halt in front of the stone gargoyle, the other three crashed into him, nearly causing him to topple over onto the ground. "Umm, fizzing whizbee," nothing happened, "ugh I don't know the password! Drooble's Best Blowing gum, acid pops," Harry began listing every sweet he could possibly think of.

"Sugar quill," stated Hermione clearly, instantly the gargoyle sprang to life and revealed the ascending spiral staircase.

Her three friends looked at her in with mild surprise. She smiled and shrugged, "one of the perks of being Head Girl is that I know the passwords to everywhere."

"Seriously?" asked Ron as they stepped onto the staircase, "I'm just surprised you're able to remember them all!"

Hermione laughed, but it didn't last long. Once the Headmasters door came into view, she and the others remembers the reason they were there. They all looked to Harry, who stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Come in," called the soft voice of professor Dumbledore.

Harry charged in, his mouth opened and ready to talk, but he suddenly stopped short. He was surprised to see that professor Dumbledore was not alone in his office; professor Snape was there was well. For a moment, Harry just stared at professor Snape with his mouth agape, for some reason, he didn't want to talk in front of Snape. Perhaps it was because of the hateful glare that Snape's cold black eyes were sending him.

"Was there something you all wanted to tell me?" asked Dumbledore quietly. His voice was calm, but his twinkling eyes were penetrating. The sent Harry that look that said that even if he didn't actually tell Dumbledore what had happened, the old man would somehow know. Harry let out a breath, conceding to tell Dumbledore anyway.

"Well professor, I was just outside on the quidditch pitch when my scar suddenly started burning." Harry suddenly felt incredibly stupid and childish when he saw the way Snape was sneering at him. "It had been tingling and growing stronger since last night. But when it happened, I suddenly felt really happy." Harry felt incredibly lame, but he looked to Dumbledore for advice anyway.

Dumbledore suddenly looked very alert; Snape meanwhile was looking more furious than ever; his eyes flashing at Harry, though Harry had no idea why Snape would be any angrier with him than usual. Dumbledore bent his head down, apparently thinking very hard. He sent Harry one more penetrating gaze than nodded, "Thank you for telling me Harry. If it happens again, please let me know. For the time being, I think it best that everyone remain in the castle for the rest of the break."

Hermione suddenly gasped slightly, everyone turned to her. "Yes Miss Granger?" asked Dumbledore, now directing his penetrating gaze at her.

"Oh," mumbled Hermione, caught off guard by the sudden attention, "nothing, I thought I left something in the quidditch stands, but I put it in my bag," she lied hoping against hope that Dumbledore didn't see through her.

Dumbledore looked at her skeptically, but chose not to press the matter. "If that is all, then I suggest you all return to Gryffindor tower for the rest of today, and please do not go wandering."

The four students nodded, and then slowly turned and trooped out the door. They were all silent as they made their way back to the common room, Harry, Ron and Ginny were preoccupied with thoughts about Harry's scar and what it meant. But Hermione was thinking about someone else. Draco, had he and Zabini gotten permission to leave the school grounds? Hermione doubted it; Draco wasn't really the type to ask for permission. Did the burning in Harry's scar have anything to do with him? Hermione tried to convince herself that it was a coincidence, but it was a loosing battle. She had known that Draco was in danger ever since she had found out that Lucius escaped. Hermione bit her lip, was he alright? Surely nothing would happen to him while he was with Zabini right? But Hermione knew that it wouldn't matter to Lucius or to Voldemort if Draco was with another person, if they wanted revenge they would get it.

Hermione didn't know why she hadn't confessed to Dumbledore about Draco being in Hogsmeade. She supposed that part of her was afraid of getting him in trouble for no reason. But another part of her felt that if she told on him then it would mean that he was really in danger, and that part of her would rather pretend that he was fine than face the idea that he could be hurt. She shook her head, 'calm down Hermione, he's probably fine,' she told herself. By the time they were back in the common room, she had made a deal with herself that if he wasn't back by dinner time, she'd tell Dumbledore, but until then, she was not going to worry.

Once the students had left Dumbledore's office, he sighed and held his head in his hands. "Severus," he breathed, "do you have any idea of what may be going on?"

"No Headmaster," said Snape coldly, "it seems as if the Dark Lord no longer trusts me enough to tell me about all his plans."

Dumbledore nodded solemnly, "yes." There was a long pause in which neither man moved, "yet I must ask, if you ever hear anything, even the slightest bit of information, as always, please inform me as soon as possible."

"Of course Headmaster, I will do my best."

"Thank you Severus," nodded professor Dumbledore with a small note of finality in his voice.

Snape nodded, taking the hint, he swept out of the office. His black cloak billowing out behind him as it always did.

Dumbledore watched the potions master exit, and once he was gone, he sighed. He removed his half-moon spectacles and held his head in his hands, feeling older and wearier than ever. He lifted himself from his chair to retrieve his penseive. His thoughts were swirling ceaselessly both in the basin and in his head. He began removing select thoughts from his head and adding them to the penseive to examine them more closely. He desperately hoped that he would spot a clue, or a trend, anything that would let him know what was going on and what Voldemort was up to.

"What the hell are you doing? Have you been completely corrupted!" Draco roared at Blaise, who was standing off to the side wearing a smug expression.

"No, but you have," said Pansy as she, along with the other three Death Eaters lowered their hoods. Draco looked upon them with a mix of shock and horror, but he was unsurprised to see that the two who had chained him up were none other than his former cronies Crabbe and Goyle. And the one who had cast the cruciatus curse on him was of course Lucius. As he glared at the approaching Death Eaters, he could not believe that he hadn't seen it coming; he had been so preoccupied with Hermione's safety that he had completely forgotten to watch out for his own. In the back of his mind had been wondering when it would happen, when they would decide to punish him for his disobedience, but he had no idea that his one trusted friend in Slytherin would be among them. 'A trap,' he thought with despair, 'it was all just a trap; Hermione was never the one in danger. I've been so stupid.'

Pansy, smirking at the look on Draco's face, continued talking as she stalked towards him, "now we intend to straighten you out again. Soon you won't be able to recall whatever the hell it was you saw in that mudblood in the first place!" she spat as she pressed herself up against Draco. Draco squirmed and attempted to get away, but being chained to the wall made any sort of movement rather impossible. "Soon you will be back where you belong," she continued seductively, she raised her hand to his face and lightly brushed back the locks of hair that were half covering his eyes. He jerked his head away and glared down at her, but that didn't stop her from smiling with a look that could only be described as sweet, seductive evil.

The silence of the room was pressing in on Draco; his ears were pounding with the intense sensations running through him, fear being the number one feeling, followed closely by hatred. Draco barred his teeth at Pansy, but she suddenly leaned in and kissed Draco hard on his mouth. He tried to turn his head away and yell in protest, but her surprisingly strong grip prevented him from moving his face. He was wildly making noises of protest, and he absolutely refused to kiss her back. His consternation only served to encourage Pansy; she pressed her lips harder to his so much so that it almost hurt. She then forced her tongue past his lips, not caring how much he protested. When she finally broke the kiss, Draco spat on the floor, and Pansy licked her lips slowly and smiled devilishly at him as she backed away slightly.

"You bitch!" Draco spat, "And what the hell are you doing with them Blaise, I thought you wanted out!"

Blaise snorted with cruel laughter, "And you believed me? Honestly Draco, you're turning into more of a Gryffindor every day, soon you'll be more pathetic than Potter! Imagine a Slytherin actually trusting someone other than himself, and to think there was a time when we all looked up to you." Blaise sneered at Draco with absolute revulsion.

The realization that Blaise had been lying to him for months hit Draco hard, he, the traitor to the Dark Lord was chained to a wall in a room with five Death Eaters. He had no visible means of escape and no one who knew where he was, he didn't even know exactly where he was. He held his head up high, mustering up all the pride he could in his present situation, and curling his lips into a sneer at his former friends. "What are you going to do to me?"

Blaise stepped forward to answer, "We're just going to help you see the error of your ways and get you back on track. We know that the old Draco is still in there somewhere," Pansy tore Draco's shirt open and traced her fingers over his chest as Blaise spoke.

Blaise rolled his eyes at Pansy's actions, but didn't comment on them. "And I'm sure in no time you won't need our help to see where you belong, but for the time being," Blaise stepped aside and turned toward a darkened corner. "He is ready Master!"

Draco stared wide-eyed with fear at the figure that stepped out of the darkness. The figure seemed to glide rather than walk, much like a dementor. He stopped next to Lucius, a smirk playing on his lips. Lucius meanwhile viewed Draco with the same loathing and hatred that he usually reserved for mudbloods and Potter. But Draco took no notice of Lucius, or of any other person in the room, including Pansy whose fingers were inching dangerously close to the top of Draco's pants. No, the one he feared, the one who was consuming all of his attention was the figure standing next to Lucius, none other than the Dark Lord himself, Lord Voldemort.

"So" began the Dark Lord. His voice was surprisingly high, yet at the same time it was colder than ice, and it sent chills of terror through Draco's spine. Draco kept his jaw tightly clenched in an effort to maintain a strong and closed composure as Pansy finally backed away. "Draco Malfoy, we finally meet. I must say, I was rather disappointed that we were not introduced at the beginning of the summer like I had planned. But no matter, you shall join us anyway; it matters not to me whether you join us voluntarily or through force." Voldemort paused to let his word sink in.

Draco did his best not to look as terrified as he felt. Apparently he was doing a good job for when Voldemort spoke; there was a twisted amusement in his tone. "Lucius I must say, I had my doubts about your son, but indeed he seems even stronger than you claimed. Look at him showing no fear in the face of the Dark Lord." Voldemort stepped closer to Draco, and lowered his voice so that it was barely above a whisper. Yet no matter how quietly he spoke, Draco caught every word loud and clear. "I admire those with strength Draco. When you join my ranks, you will be among the most elite wizards in the wizarding world." Lord Voldemort inched towards Draco, "Now, I will give you one last opportunity to join willingly, make your choice."

Draco stared into Voldemorts eyes unblinking. He didn't want to think about the torture he would experience if he rebelled again. But the thought of what had happened last year, all he had gone through opposing the Dark Lord. He knew that he couldn't just give up that easily, he'd come too far to give up now. Yet doubt and indecision still swirled through him. Voldemort was regarding him patiently, with a cold expression. He did not bother to hurry Draco along; he had all the time in the world to wait, and no matter what the young Malfoy decided Lord Voldemort knew he would get his way.

In the end, after many long moments of silence, what ultimately made up Draco's mind was the memory of what had happened in the Hog's Head last year. When Hermione had heard him faltering, she burst in to protect him, she had given him his determination back. And he was not about to repay her courage and faith in him by giving into Voldemort now.

With a scowl and a deep breath, he stared directly into Lord Voldemort's blood-red eyes and mustered up courage he never even knew he had. He shouted "I will never join your ranks! I will NEVER be a Death Eater!"

Lucius moved first, for the second time that night he aimed his wand at Draco's heart and shouted "CRUCIO!" Draco was still numb from the last torture; he completely lost all support from his legs, so he was literally hanging against the wall by his wrists. The chains were cutting into his skin, and he could no longer breathe. When the curse was finally released, Draco was left hanging and coughing up blood uncontrollably. He could feel a stream of blood trailing down his neck from hitting his head against the stone wall. But he couldn't feel any pain; all he felt was numb tingling running through his veins. He seemed unable to feel anything anymore.

The five Death Eaters wore matching menacing grins, and Voldemort chuckled cruelly, "Very well. Now you shall learn that no one opposes Lord Voldemort!" he pointed his wand squarely at Draco's chest, "IMPERIO!"

Draco, who had been expecting to be killed, was shocked to be hit with the imperius curse. He had been hit with it a few times before, twice in Defense Against the Dark Arts class his fourth year by professor Moody, who Lucius had afterwards told Draco had really been a Death Eater in disguise. The other times, Draco had nearly been able to fight off the curse, but this time he didn't even have a chance. All his free will and decision making capabilities were instantly stolen from him. A light-headed sense of emptiness now filled the space once occupied by his thoughts. Now the only voice he heard in his head was the high-pitched snakelike voice of evil. Lord Voldemort was now controlling Draco's every move.

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UH OH! This can't be a good turn of events for our two lovebirds!

I know this chapter was a bit shorter than the ones I've been writing lately, but I hope the movement in plot makes up for short length. As always reviews are much appreciated, and I will do my best to get the next chapter to you as soon as possible!


	14. Chapter 14: Cursed

**Disclaimer: **I'm not the amazing and wonderful J.K. Rowling (though I may still be amazing and wonderful) but since I'm not JRK, I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait, but there was a problem with my computer, and I had to send it away for a week. They had to completely wipe the hard drive :o( But no worries, I backed up my fics (and all my other stuff.) Anyway, I was a bit dissapointed at the number of reviews for last chapter, but I guess everyone's busy. Anyway, a big thanks to those who did review, I love hearing from you guys!

_Llama_ – OH NO! I hope the update came fast enough; I would hate to be responsible for killing someone with suspense! Anyway, glad to hear you liked it!  
_Karma Chameleon _– I'm always happy to make my readers happy :o) I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.  
_torn to pieces _– haha suspense! Lol anyway thanks for the review, and I hope this update came quick enough!  
_Sunflower18 _– was that a good damn or a bad damn? lol thanks for the review!  
_fieryred20_ – I'm happy to hear you liked it so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!  
_elektra30_ – I'm glad you thought it was exciting, and that you liked noting the changes in Draco. I hope you like this chapter as well!

Thank you all again, and here's chapter 14!

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**Chapter 14: Cursed**

An evil grin spread across Lord Voldemort's lips at the far off gaze that washed over Draco, glazing over his slate gray eyes. "Crabbe, Goyle, kindly unchain our newest recruit."

The two lumbering young men clumsily unchained Draco, leaving him to drop to the floor in an ungraceful heap. His knees were still too weak from the lingering effects of the cruciatus curse to fully support him. Voldemort's nasty grin widened, "Zabini, fetch me that goblet off the table in the corner."

Draco closed his eyes, his head was pounding and he bent it down towards the ground. He was teetering dangerously on the brink of unconsciousness, and his breathing was labored. He heard approaching footsteps that seemed pounding and distant at the same time, they were echoing loudly in the back of his head. He forced his eyes open and saw a silver goblet placed on the ground in front of him. A green tinged vapor was issuing from the brim though the liquid itself was clear. 'Drink' a distant icy voice commanded from the depths of Draco's mind. No part of Draco opposed the command, but he found himself to be too weak to actually carry the order out.

"Parkinson, perhaps you should assist young Draco, he seems incredibly exhausted," Voldemort taunted. Four male voices sniggered in the background.

Pansy however, did not laugh; rather she was highly concerned over Draco's weakened condition. She gingerly lifted Draco's head back and tilted his head up so that it was facing the ceiling. She then carefully touched the rim of the goblet to his lips and tipped it up so that the contents dripped into his mouth. Draco, without thinking, instinctively swallowed the substance and it tingled like tiny needles all the way down. Pansy continued feeding him the potion until the entire goblet had been drained. She then placed the goblet down, but continued supporting Draco's head. She took to running her fingers through his silky platinum locks and tracing them along his face.

Draco now felt the tingling needles spreading through his veins throughout his entire body. The potion was giving him back his strength, it healed his wounds and within moments left him looking as perfectly fit and fine as he had when he arrived in the dungeon. Once the potion had fully restored Draco to his usual self physically, he stood up. His eyes, which were usually constantly swirling with some sort of intense emotion, were disturbingly vacant. He stared directly in front of him without seeing anything. No thoughts occupied his mind; he no longer had thoughts of his own to think.

Lord Voldemort seemed incredibly pleased with how the plan was proceeding. An arrogant sneer played on his lips, "now we can prepare for the second half of the plan." Lucius chuckled, malevolently in the background. "Draco," continued the Dark Lord, "before you are officially initiated, you will have the opportunity to rectify your decision to turn your back on me. Before you are initiated you will be required to fulfill a task. You are to deliver a _mudblood_ to us. You shall be the one to deliver ­_Granger._"

Somewhere in the very bottom of Draco's chest, in a tiny locked away part of his soul, he cringed at the order that was being given to him. But the feeling was not strong enough to penetrate past the hate which now filled Draco, hate provided by Lord Voldemort. On the outside, there was no indication at all that any part of Draco was opposed to this order. Rather, Draco was continuing to stare at an unspecific spot in the chamber, not seeing anything. Emptiness continued to consume him until a high-pitched, icy, snakelike voice filled the void of Draco's mind, commanding his full attention and obedience. 'You will go about your business as you have all year; no one is to know that anything has changed. When the time is right, you will know what to do.'

"Now," spoke Voldemort's cold voice for everyone to hear, "Zabini, I suggest that you and Draco return to the castle now. And a reminder to everyone, you are to speak of this plan to no one, and you are all to act as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The last thing we need is for Dumbledore to suspect anything."

"Yes master," chorused everyone except Draco, who still wore a vacant expression.

"Zabini," called the Dark Lord before dismissing the Death Eaters, "test him before you return, make sure he is behaving as he has been recently."

"Even towards the mudblood?" clarified Zabini.

"_Especially_ towards the mudblood, we need her to continue trusting him in order for phase two to be successful."

Blaise made a disgusted face, "Yes Master," Blaise and the other Death Eaters bowed to Lord Voldemort, and then Blaise ushered Draco out the door.

Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle, followed the two young men out the door. Lucius meanwhile stayed behind wearing a satisfied smirk. "The plan is working flawlessly Master," he stated, finally breaking the cold silence.

"Yes," answered a cold harsh voice, Lucius was slightly surprised by his Masters angry mood. "Once we are through satisfying your childish revenge wishes, we can move on to more important matters."

Voldemort's words were barely above a whisper, yet they caused Lucius to flinch as if he had been shouting at the top of his lungs, "yes of course Master," said Lucius with a touch of nervousness in his tone. "But don't you agree, Potter will be much weaker and easier to overcome after we kill one of his closest allies?"

Voldemort chuckled cruelly, "indeed, that is the only reason we are continuing with this petty retribution plot."

Lucius made no response other than to bow his head, he knew better than to upset the Dark Lord.

After they left the chamber, Blaise and Draco parted from the other three to return to Hogwarts. They took a prearranged portkey back to the Hog's Head, and then began trekking back to the castle. Along the way, Blaise quizzed Draco to assure that he was still able to behave like himself even while under the Dark Lords imperius curse. For the most part Draco seemed himself, at least Blaise could not see anything different about him. But he knew that the real test would come when Draco was around his filthy mudblood of a girlfriend. Blaise was sure that the meddlesome Gryffindor would be able to pick up on little details about Draco's usual behavior that Blaise would never have even noticed.

Blaise just crossed his fingers and hoped for the best as he and Draco climbed the stairs to the castle. By the time they arrived, it was nearly time for dinner, so the two Slytherins went straight to the Great Hall to await the food. Despite his apprehension about Draco fooling Granger, he was very much relieved now that part one of the plot was over. Now he no longer had to pretend to be a hopeless traitor to the Dark Lord, he could be more like himself. Sure he still had to pretend that he was not a Death Eater, but he would have to pretend that no matter what he did, so that was no big deal really. Blaise knew that they were likely to see the mudblood, Potter, and their two weasel friends in the Great Hall at some point, so he got Draco talking about a subject that seemed completely ordinary, something that they could talk endlessly about. Of course, his chosen the topic of conversation was quidditch.

The rest of the afternoon after they spoke to Dumbledore had passed in a tense mood for the four Gryffindors. The burning of Harry's scar faded up and down over the course of the afternoon. He knew something was happening, and he was feeling an odd mixture of foreign emotions. He felt both excited, and angry at once, he also felt impatience in his chest, although he could not explain the reasoning behind any of the emotions.

Ginny and Ron were attempting to distract themselves from being concerned by playing a game of wizards' chess. Ginny was proving to be a much more formidable opponent for Ron than Harry usually was. Hermione meanwhile was trying to clear her mind by flipping through her rough draft of the yearbook and finding additional things to add and or work on. Her efforts proved to be surprisingly successful, that is until she came across the Head Boy and Girl page. Seeing Draco's photographs got her mind focused on him again, and suddenly, she found that she could not sit still. She was desperate to know that he was alright.

So, much to the surprise of her friends, the minute dinner time came around, Hermione jumped up, and in an extremely upbeat voice, suggested that they go down to the Great Hall. No one had any objections; in fact they were all relieved to be doing something. The burning in Harry's scar had finally completely died down, which he was thankful for. He made sure to tell Hermione, Ron and Ginny that it was no longer burning because he didn't want them to worry. Indeed, he was glad to see the relief in their faces.

Hermione was very happy to hear that the burning was gone for Harry, but she wasn't going to be able to relax until she was sure Draco was alright. A very tight sickening sensation in the pit of her stomach suggested that something horrible had happened to him, as in death. Hermione gulped, internally shaking the absurd idea from her head, 'no,' she convinced herself, 'he's fine, you're worrying for nothing!'

When the group finally entered the Great Hall, Hermione was hanging her head down, not wanting to see the empty room without Draco.

"Not a chance in Hell! Seekers are by far the most important players on the team!"

Hermione's head shot up at the sound of Draco's voice. Hermione couldn't believe it, there he was, he and Zabini were already eating at the Slytherin table, and were apparently talking about quidditch. Hermione was beginning to think that quidditch was the only topic boys ever talked about together.

"No way mate, keepers are the most important players, who else stops the chasers from scoring," argued Zabini.

"Yeah, they stop the occasional quaffle, but the game can't end without the seekers."

"Whatever," Blaise shook his head.

Draco smirked, then glanced over at the Gryffindors. His smirk momentarily turned into a smile when he saw Hermione.

Hermione beamed at him, she was so relieved to see that he was obviously fine that she was completely unaware that deep down inside him, something was terribly amiss and that Draco was not himself at all.

Shortly after the Gryffindors arrived, Blaise ushered Draco out of the Hall. Draco was still having trouble adjusting to his lack of free will, and as a result, he needed someone to tell him what to do. Blaise hoped that that particular side effect would wear off fast because someone would definitely notice a change like that. The real Draco would never allow anyone to tell him what to do; he was always the one barking out the orders.

Blaise dropped Draco off at the Founders portrait, and walked away with an unshakeable sense of unease. As he was descending into the dungeons, his worried thoughts were disrupted by the sound of the doors to the Great Hall opening, and the voices of the Gryffindors as they exited.

"Come on Hermione," the Weasley brother was saying, "come hang out in the common room."

"Oh alright, I'll come with you guys," the mudblood responded, "but first let me drop off my bag, it weighs a ton. Then I'll meet you there."

"Why don't we just wait for you?" asked the Weasley brother.

"Ron, stop making things difficult," ordered Weasley's little sister, "Hermione, we'll meet you in the common room."

The conversation continued, but the voices had moved too far away for Blaise to continue listening. He gulped and drew a deep breath as he resumed his journey into the dungeons. 'Hopefully the mudblood won't stick around long enough to notice anything,' he thought to himself, 'then again,' his thought continued, 'if she does notice something maybe we'll be able to get this stupid plan over with faster.' An evil smile spread across his face, 'I can't wait for Lucius finish that annoying mudblood bitch off for good.'

Harry Ron, and Ginny kept walking when Hermione stopped at the Founders portrait. She said the password, then stepped inside. She beamed at Draco, still incredibly relieved that he was alright. He was lounging on the couch watching his model wyvern flying around his head. "Hey!" greeted Hermione.

"Hey," echoed Draco. He sounded normal, although he did not get up to greet her. However, since she was only stopping in for a minute, Hermione didn't notice.

"I only came by to drop this off, so I guess I'll see you later."

Draco made no response. Hermione figured that he was probably miffed about her leaving to spend even more time with her friend rather than staying with him. She turned to head out the door, rolling her eyes as she did. Still, she didn't want him to be in a bad mood, so before closing the portrait, she turned back, "I love you."

"I love you too," Draco's eyes met Hermione's and from where she was they seemed every bit as sincere as usual, but his voice sounded strangely flat. It almost sounded as if he were merely repeating a prerecorded, meaningless message. Hermione closed the portrait behind her and shook the feeling away. It had been a long day, so she was probably just imagining things. By the time she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, she had succeeded in removing the concern from her mind.

She entered the Gryffindor common room and was greeted with the sight of Ron getting squirted square in the face by a gobstone. Ginny was howling with laughter, and Harry was having a difficult time containing his laughter as well.

"That's a good look for you Ron," said Ginny in between laughs, "you should think about sticking that stuff to your face permanently.

That comment sent Hermione and Harry into a round of hearty laughter. Ron meanwhile wiped the substance from his freckled face. "Wanna play Hermione?" he asked once his face was free of the liquid.

Hermione considered it, decided that she didn't want to end up with that stuff on her face, and politely declined.

"You know, for being Gryffindors, you two are really quite a pair of chickens," said Ron, gesturing to Harry and Hermione. "The stuff comes right off you know."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Ginny, wearing an expression on her face as if she knew something he didn't. She winked at Harry and Hermione while Ron was not looking, then threw a not so discreet look at his face.

Ron frowned, reached over into Ginny's pocket and removed a compact mirror. He opened it and looked at the reflection. "There's nothing there!" he cried as he threw the compact back at her.

"But I had you thinking there was!" Ginny and the others were laughing hysterically at Ron again.

Ron scoffed and crossed his arms, but eventually he too joined in on the laughter.

It was past ten o'clock when Hermione finally returned to her common room. There was one occupant in the main room, but it was not Draco. Crookshanks was stalking outside Draco's closed door, his eyes fixed determinedly on it. Hermione frowned, her cat didn't look as if he were watching the door for fun, instead he looked like a predator stalking its prey and preparing for an ambush. Hermione scooped him up and Crookshanks protested with a disgruntled yowl. "Draco," she called, "you in there?"

Hermione heard the dull thud of approaching footsteps, then the click of the door as Draco turned the knob. But as soon as he stepped out, Crookshanks started flailing around like mad in Hermione's arms. He furiously swiped his sharp claws at Draco. Draco stumbled back, "get that damn cat away from me!" he roared.

Hermione struggled to maintain a hold of Crookshanks, and ended up half throwing him back into her room. She only just managed to close the door before he charged forward in an attempt to escape. Hermione turned to Draco, panting heavily from the struggle with her cat. "What was that all about?"

"How the hell should I know?" Draco snapped, "the mangy cat has been like that all night. The stupid wyvern flew into your room, so I went in to get it. The cat woke up and took one look at me, then it attacked, and it's been stalking me ever since!"

"I don't understand," said Hermione concernedly, "I thought Crookshanks liked you."

"I thought so too," agreed Draco, finally regaining control of his temper.

"Strange, that sort of behavior is not like Crookshanks at all."

Hermione immediately knew that she had said something wrong because she instantly saw Draco's temper flare up from within him again. "Are you saying that I am lying?" he challenged angrily.

"No," she argued quickly, attempting to appease his temper before he really blew up. "I was just thinking that maybe Crookshanks is ill or something. Perhaps I should bring him to Hagrid's in the morning."

"Brainless oaf," muttered Draco under his breath.

Hermione frowned and put her hands on her hips, "honestly, what's got you in such a foul mood tonight?"

"Nothing's wrong with me other than I've spent half the night held prisoner in my own room because of a psychotic cat," answered Draco, his tone wasn't as angry as she expected, but there was a definite bite to it.

"Are you sure everything's alright?" she asked cautiously, while giving him a concerned look. "Did something happen while you were in Hogsmeade?"

An odd look flashed in Draco's eyes so quickly that it wasn't even perceptible, so Hermione did not see it. There was a slight pause before Draco responded, it wasn't long enough to be suspicious or awkward, rather, it just seemed to be a natural pause in the conversation.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," he answered casually.

Hermione let out a breath and smiled. He returned the gesture, which to Hermione made everything feel perfectly normal again.

All too soon, in the students' opinions at least, the Christmas holidays ended and classes began again. Before they knew it, January was gone and February was underway. Once February began, the seventh years really began to feel the pressure mount. Suddenly N.E.W.T.s seemed much closer than they had ever felt before. The professors were suddenly trying to cram even more information into the student's brains than usual, and as a result, everyone was noticeably more high strung.

By the end of January, Hermione and the yearbook staff had completed the rough draft of the yearbook, with the exception of the pages left blank for upcoming events. Dumbledore assured them that they could complete those pages later and send them into the printer individually. In the meantime, he had sent what was finished of the yearbook to the printer so they could begin printing up enough copies for all the seventh years, and so they could have plenty of time to add the numerous charms the yearbook staff had devised.

One would have thought that with the weight of the yearbook off her shoulders, Hermione would have felt some measure of relief. But anyone who would have thought that, clearly did not know Hermione Granger. When the stress of the yearbook had disappeared, it had been replaced with the full weight of the impending N.E.W.T.s.

The seventh year wizarding tests were not taking place until the end of May, but already Hermione was feeling incredibly under-prepared. As she had done every year, she drew up study schedules for herself, Harry and Ron. This year she also made one for Draco, even though she knew he didn't need it. It had been incredibly easy since his schedule was the same as hers, plus she felt weird making one for Harry and Ron but not for him. Yet, she hadn't given it to him. She sat in her room gazing apprehensively at it lying on her desk, and even as she though about it, she couldn't believe how silly she was being.

The reason she hadn't given it to him yet was because she was unsure of how he would react to it. He had been in a very strange and unpredictable mood lately. One minute he'd be fine, the next he'd be pissed at something or another. Though, she did notice that he was never directly angry at her, she only noticed his attitude because they shared a common room together. Hermione wrote his moody behavior off as nerves, but it still made her wary because she never knew what would set him off. It wasn't as if he started yelling and screaming, but instead he would become moody and closed off. In regards to the study schedule, she wasn't sure if he'd take it with a laugh as something only she would do, or if he would somehow take it the wrong way.

'For Heaven's sake Hermione,' she reprimanded herself, 'stop overanalyzing every little thing!' She nodded her head, "I'll just give it to him when he gets back from quidditch practice, then whatever happens, I won't need to think about it anymore," she said aloud to Crookshanks, who was lounging on her bed, watching her.

With her mind finally made up, she was able to fully concentrate on her potions essay. The assignment was to write a 4' essay about the Veritaserum truth potion. Professor Snape wanted them to write about the effects of each ingredient and then they were to comment about why the use of the potion is so strictly controlled by the Ministry. She had already finished three and a half feet about the effects of the ingredients and of the potion itself, so all she had left to do was write about why it's so regulated.

'Piece of cake' she thought. She glanced around her desk for a moment, searching for the book she had been using as research before remembering that she had put it back in the common room library. She relocated herself and her essay materials to the desk in the main room, and then browsed the shelf for the book she needed. It only took a second to find, so she opened it, took a seat and began skimming through it to find the correct section.

Ever since fourth year, when Dumbledore had used Veritaserum on Crouch Jr. Hermione had been curious to know why the serum wasn't used more often. It seemed to her that it would be much a more effective and simpler way of determining an accused criminals' guilt or innocence rather than lengthy and boring trials. She had been curious, but so many other things had happened since then that she had never gotten around to researching it before now.

Hermione's eyes brightened when they found the section she was looking for. She quietly read the passage aloud to herself, a habit which she had picked up at home when she was reading alone that now she did unconsciously when she was by herself, and sometimes when she was alone with Draco as well. But he had never said anything to her about it, and she was unaware that she ever did it. The passage turned out to be exactly what Hermione had been looking for:

_Veritaserum is the most potent truth potion in the world. Accordingly, as with any extremely powerful potion or spell, its use is regulated and controlled by the Ministry of Magic._

Hermione began jotting notes on a spare bit of parchment.

_As a truth potion, Veritaserum directly affects the drinkers' brain. Too much could very easily cause permanent damage to the drinker. In addition, several of the ingredients used to make Veritaserum are extremely rare and or difficult to find. As a result, there is a relatively limited supply available for use. The potion also takes well over a month to prepare, and if anything goes even the slightest bit wrong during the preparation and brewing phase, the entire batch is wasted. . . _

The book continued, but Hermione stopped reading and began completing her essay. She was just finishing the last line when Crookshanks stalked into the room through the door she had forgotten to close. He was hissing and spitting ferociously. "Crookshanks what . . ." But Hermione's question was answered before she could even finish asking it. The portrait door began to open, and Crookshanks charged, "Draco stop!" Hermione cried. But it was too late; Crookshanks leapt and sank his claws deep into Draco's leg. Draco howled in a mixture of shock and pain. He began kicking his leg in an effort to remove Crookshanks, he then half hopped, half fell into the room with a loud thud, and a feline yowl.

The fall managed to dislodge Crookshanks, and Hermione took the opportunity to seize him round the middle and force him back into her room. It was quite a struggle, and she even got a few minor scratches from his flailing claws. But in the end, she managed to lug him back into her room, after which, she slammed the door and turned back to Draco preparing herself to face his temper.

He was sitting on the floor, with one of his pant legs rolled up to his knee. Crookshanks had managed to do a surprising amount of damage, and the sight of it made Hermione gulp. The cuts were long and deep, and there was blood oozing out all over his leg. Hermione walked over to him, taking her wand out as she did so. She knelt down beside him and performed a simple charm which cleaned the blood off his leg. The cuts were still there, but the free flowing blood was gone. She looked up and was unsurprised to find him glaring at her.

"I thought you said you were going to get the damn cat checked out," he spat venomously.

"I did," said Hermione defensively, "Hagrid said there's nothing wrong with him."

"Bloody brainless oaf," muttered Draco.

"Don't call him that!" shouted Hermione.

"Well doesn't it look to you like there's something wrong with it!" challenged Draco.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with him," she said in a defiant, yet small voice.

"Fine!" roared Draco as he stood up, "just keep the damn thing the fuck away from me!" He stormed into his room and slammed the door behind him.

Hermione cringed at the sound, and sat alone on the floor for a moment. In all honesty, she didn't think there was anything wrong with Crookshanks, because he had behaved in a similar manner to this before. That was what disturbed Hermione the most. In fact it disturbed her so much that most of the time, she just completely blocked the thought from her mind. But at this moment, it crept back in and demanded consideration. The last time Crookshanks had acted like this was back in her third year when he was after Peter Pettigrew, who had been disguised as Ron's pet rat Scabbers.

Hermione sighed, and got up to return her essay into her room. She opened the door and looked at Crookshanks, who was now sprawled out on her bed looking like a small ginger blanket. Hermione dropped her stuff on her desk, and then sat down beside her cat, stroking his long fur. "You don't think there's something wrong with Draco do you?"

Crookshanks stared at her, and Hermione desperately wished that he could talk so that he could answer her question. 'No, there's nothing wrong with Draco!' her mind attempted to convince herself. 'Crookshanks must just be jealous of the attention I give him.' She silently considered this option for a moment. She remembered her mother telling her about a friend of hers who had had a pet who acted all defensive like that around people it felt were intruding on it's territory, especially people of the opposite sex. So it was apparently, entirely normal for pets to become jealous of people and attack them just as Crookshanks was doing. "Yeah, that's it," she said aloud after fully convincing herself that jealousy was the culprit.

Having made the decision that Crookshanks behavior stemmed from jealousy and nothing more, put Hermione's mind at rest. She was then able to go talk to him. She got up and walked purposefully over to Draco's room, making sure that she closed her door behind her this time. She knocked, she took a deep breath, hoping against hope that he had managed to calm down.

"Come in," he called gruffly.

His tone allowed her to relax slightly, at least he wasn't sounding furious, which was a good sign. She opened the door and found Draco working at his desk. "Hey," she began cautiously. "How's your leg?"

"Fine," he answered stiffly. "Just don't tell me that you came here to continue defending the cat."

"I didn't!" she said, "but I do think I know why he's been acting strange lately."

"And why is that?" Draco asked in an incredibly bored tone, he had yet to look up from his work.

"Well . . .I think he may be jealous." She said quietly.

Draco made a noise of disbelief, "jealous?"

"Of you," said Hermione, "I think he's tired of me spending time with you."

Draco continued looking down at his work, but he snorted with laugher, and Hermione glimpsed a smile on his face, it brightened her mood. "Well, I must say this is a first," he said finally, looking up at her, "naturally, I'm used to wizards being jealous of me" Hermione rolled her eyes, "but cats! Come on now Hermione," he said looking skeptically at her.

Hermione bit her lip, and blushed a bit, "It was just a thought," she muttered, directing her head downward.

But the thought of that he made her cat jealous had turned Draco's anger to amusement, and he chuckled at Hermione's shy demeanor. He draped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her head, "Well he's gonna have to work a lot harder than that to ever get rid of me."

Hermione smiled and looked into Draco's eyes. Maybe it was because she hadn't looked into his eyes for any great length of time for quite a while, or maybe it was just because her mind did not want to see it. But for whatever the reason, Hermione did not notice the change that had come over Draco's eyes. What had once been constantly swirling pools of silver and steel were now static gray eyes. His eyes no longer revealed his emotions to her; rather they were now like most everyone else's eyes, simple and unchanging. Yet, since they did not give off a closed or angry feeling, Hermione did not notice the difference.

* * *

I know that this chapter wasn't quite as exciting as the last one, but trust me, real plot heavy stuff will be coming in either the next chapter or the one after that. And as always, I love hearing what you all think, so please review:o) 


	15. Chapter 15: Rebellion and Confrontation

**Disclaimer: **I'm writing fanfics, therefore I am not JK Rowling, and therefore I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **Sorry for the wait, I had a lot of writer's block issues for this chapter. On the other hand, I've been working a lot on stuff that's coming later. I even made a little timeline so I can try to make time run more smoothly from now on. I hope you like this chapter, and thank a lot to all my wonderfully patient readers and reviewers!

_Sayaku-chan_ – Thank you! I'm thrilled to hear that you liked both fics so far. I would answer your questions, that that would give much too much away ;o) Anyway, I hope this update came fast enough to save your sanity! Thanks for the review!  
_Fire Angel_ – No worries, there's no reason to be ashamed, I'm just happy that you like both my fics so much :o) I hope you like this chapter, and thanks for the review!  
_jesska-14, Sunflower18_ – Thanks for the reviews!  
_purple pixie_ – lol your review made me laugh, and yes I admit I did read the entire review instead of using that time to work on my fic, please forgive me. lol Anyway, thank you so much, I'm glad you like both my fics, and I'm sorry for the long wait.  
_Hermione Weasley192_ – the reason time moves so fast honestly is only cause I was getting impatient, but now I have a timeline so I'll do my best to keep it under control and moving at a consistent pace from now on. I'm glad to see that you picked up on my little clue, so now you can speculate about what will happen later on. And in regards to your question about Blaise – I had always thought Blaise was a guy, but I read a few fics portraying him as a girl, so before writing this I double checked and there it says that Blaise is a guy. Thanks for asking about it though :o) I'm glad to hear that your exams are over, I hope you did well!  
_elektra30_ – yeah, I think this fic is already longer (word wise) than the first one, and I see it having more chapters by the time it's done too, so we'll see how it turns out. I'm so happy that you enjoyed the emotions and the suspense, and I hope you like this chapter too! Thanks for the review (btw I haven't had a chance to read your latest chapter yet cause I've been working on this, but I should be able to read it tomorrow, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in your fic!)  
_torn to pieces_ – Thank you so much! It's awesome to hear that you like my writing style, and that you think I'm good. I hope you like this chapter!

Enough jibber jabber, on with the story :o)

* * *

**Chapter 15: Rebellion and Confrontation**

Crookshanks' behavior was no better the next morning, in fact, he only seemed all the more determined to get his claws on Draco. He nearly managed to escape passed Hermione when she opened the door to leave. He was so stealthy and persistent, in fact, that she nearly had to kick him to get him to back off. His behavior was especially unsettling because Hermione had expected him to calm down over the night. 'Maybe he really is after Draco for a serious reason.' The thought crossed her mind before she could stop it, and she didn't like it. It left her feeling very uneasy.

"You alright?" asked Draco from the chair he was sitting in. He stood up and moved towards her with a curious expression on his face.

She nodded, trying her best to ignore the sudden thought that Draco looked like a predator stalking towards its prey. "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just . . .well it's nothing." She muttered quickly, hoping that Draco wouldn't question her further.

Draco, raised his eyebrows, but Hermione could not see the deep concern from his eyes that she would have expected. He leaned in to kiss her. She kissed him back, and it felt like his kisses always did, the kind that made her melt no matter how she was feeling. He ended the kiss slowly, but continued to hold her close, "you would tell me if something was wrong right?"

Hermione looked deeply into his eyes, searching for the emotions she knew existed within him, but she could not find them, it made her nervous. Still, she put on a smile that she hoped was convincing, took his hand in hers, and walked with him to the Great Hall. She was much more wary and jumpy today than she had been the night before, although she did a very good job of hiding it. She didn't know it, but over the night while she was sleeping, her subconscious had been very active, forcing her to start seeing what Crookshanks was trying to tell her, forcing her to see what she had so far been adamantly refusing to see.

Once inside the Great Hall, she felt Draco squeeze her hand before letting go and walking over to the Slytherin table. Meanwhile, Hermione's legs carried her to the Gryffindor table in a daze.

"Hey," Harry, Ron, and Ginny said as Hermione sat down, but Hermione made no response. The other three Gryffindors looked curiously at each other.

"Hello! Earth to Hermione!" called Ginny, waving her hand in front of Hermione's face.

That finally snapped Hermione out of her trance, and she looked around as if to figure out where she was. "Oh, hey guys," she said as she began putting food on her plate.

"What's got you so distracted this morning?" asked Ginny. She was smiling as if she already knew what Hermione's answer would be, so she was genuinely surprised by the answer.

"Crookshanks," sighed Hermione.

All three Gryffindors looked at her with a bit of surprise. "Why, is there something wrong with him?" asked Harry.

"I don't know, he seems fine. It's just that lately he's been dead set on attacking Draco, he's been trying to tear him to shreds."

"I've always loved that cat!" exclaimed Ron.

Harry smiled and chuckled under his breath, Ginny rolled her eyes, and Hermione gave him a stern unappreciative look, but otherwise she chose not to comment.

"Just out of the blue, he started acting like this?" confirmed Ginny.

"Yeah," said Hermione. But in the back of her mind, she could feel an alarm bell go off, as if her subconscious trying to tell her something. Deep down she felt as if Crookshanks' change in behavior had been liked to some other event. But at the moment she couldn't recall when exactly he had started acting differently towards Draco, so she couldn't make a connection.

"How did Crookshanks act around him before?" asked Harry.

"Before he was fine, he used to really like Draco." Hermione answered with a shrug.

"Stupid cat," muttered Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed with annoyance while Harry and Ginny bit back their laughter. No one felt the necessity to point out to Ron the fact that a minute ago he had declared how much he loved Crookshanks.

"Maybe he's sick, have you thought about bringing him to Hagrid to check him out?" suggested Ginny.

"I did, Hagrid said he was fine," answered Hermione glumly. "Whatever," she said after a moment's silence. "I'm not going to worry about it, I'm sure it's nothing anyway," she lied.

Her friends, who were not aware of how drastic and sudden the change in Crookshanks had been, didn't give it a second thought. For Hermione on the other hand, even though she wasn't going to talk about it, didn't mean she was finished thinking about it. She was determined to get to the bottom of it and find out what had changed.

Towards the end of breakfast, Ginny got up to visit her Ravenclaw boyfriend and Harry and Ron began complaining to each other about the amount of homework professor Trelawny had assigned in divination. Hermione honestly couldn't understand why they complained, they made everything up anyway. She was half listening to them with amusement and half wanting to reprimand them for not appropriately applying themselves to their schoolwork when she saw something over at the Slytherin table. It wasn't anything big, or even noteworthy for that matter. In fact, other than Hermione, no one else in the Great Hall bothered to take any notice. But Hermione saw it, and it made her tense quite a bit.

Draco had gotten up presumably to go to class, and his old gang of Slytherins had followed. Crabbe and Goyle walked slightly behind him, flanking either side and looking like hulking bodyguards. Much to Hermione's displeasure, Pansy was walking next to him, though Hermione did notice that she was not hanging all over him as she once used to. Finally, Zabini was walking on Draco's other side, talking animatedly.

As she watched them walk across the hall, Hermione felt herself being taken back to the years before sixth year. Back to when Draco had been a muggle-born hating, insufferable git. It scared her a little; she hadn't seen the other Slytherins following Draco around like that all year. Sure, she knew he still did things with them, but for some reason, seeing them all together like they were, felt different. It felt threatening and intimidating. The sight brought an uneasy feeling to her stomach that she just could not shake.

Without even realizing it, she followed Harry and Ron when they got up to leave for Transfiguration. Her unease only increased when she walked into the classroom and found all the Slytherins huddled around the desk at which Draco, Zabini and Pansy were seated. It was then that Hermione realized that Pansy and Zabini must have broken up, because they were sitting on either side of Draco, rather than next to each other. The thought that Pansy was once again single brought a tight angry knot to her stomach. She glared at the Slytherin girl from her seat next to Harry at the front of the room. If something about Draco really had changed, Hermione had no doubt that Parkinson had something to do with it.

From across the room, it seemed as though Pansy could feel someone's furious eyes boring into her. She suddenly looked up and around until she met Hermione's glare. A devious smile spread across her pug like face. She then haughtily turned back to Draco and whispered something to him followed by a laugh, and a smug glance back at Hermione.

Hermione was seething, 'that stupid, that horrible, that . . .that . . .uuuugggghhhhh!' thought Hermione furiously. She couldn't even think of a word to express how angry she was. She was imagining what horrible hexes and curses she would like to throw at Pansy if she had the chance, when professor McGonagall interrupted her thoughts by starting class.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, "if you would all take your seats, we can begin!" she ordered strictly. The Slytherins all moved to their desks and sat down with annoyed looks on their faces. It was as if they thought professor McGonagall was being rude by interrupting them to teach.

Throughout class, while she was transfiguring muggle chess pieces to move around like wizarding chessmen, Hermione kept glancing up towards the Slytherins. She did not like how Pansy was behaving. She was becoming flirtier as the class went on, and it was causing Hermione to fume. It was bothering her so much, that even Harry and Ron began to notice after a while. They kept looking between Hermione, the Slytherins, and each other, but neither of them knew what to do or say that would calm Hermione down.

On the Slytherin side, Draco was bored with transfiguring chessmen, so he had two of his fighting with each other across the table. Blaise was half concentrating on transfiguration, which he was rather lousy at, and watching what was going on next to him. It was making him nervous, if Parkinson kept it up, she was going to push Draco over the edge, and then there would be Hell to pay, and the plan would be ruined. Blaise could see it in Draco's eyes, the more Pansy flirted with him, and the more his eyes flickered. They flickered with rebellion; he was beginning to fight the curse. Blaise tried to send Pansy an inconspicuous signal to cut it out, but Pansy was never one to take a hint, particularly if it interfered with her flirting with Draco.

Pansy, who had been encouraged by Hermione's clear anger at the beginning of class, was completely ignoring her chess pieces and focusing only on Draco. She was giggling girlishly, which didn't suit her at all, and she was touching him a lot.

When Pansy had started flirting with him, there was a tiny voice in the back of Draco's mind protesting the attention. It shouted at him to make her stop, but it was so small and weak that its shouts were barely even a whisper to the rest of his empty mind. But the more she persisted the louder that whisper got, until it was actually registering in Draco's conscience. The added voice confused him as it fought for dominance against the louder and stronger snakelike voice that had been controlling him for over a month. Since he didn't know which to listen to, he continued to listen to the louder voice.

Pansy had her hand on his back, ". . . and I can't believe how Millicent did that can you Draco?" She didn't wait for a response, nor did she seem to expect one, instead, she continued babbling away.

The voice whispered louder and for the first time, Draco considered listening to it 'stop her!' it demanded.

Pansy was still talking but she moved her hand to Draco's thigh.

The voice shouted one word, but that was all Draco needed, '_HERMIONE!_'

For a split second, his eyes flashed so that they were once again his own. For one solitary moment, he was in control of himself. "Back off Parkinson!" Draco roared, jumping up and smacking her hand away.

His eyes were flashing, and now even Pansy could see flickers of the real Draco in them. She quickly backed away, staring at him with fear. But it wasn't fear of Draco, what she was afraid of was how much trouble she would be in for triggering Draco to begin rebelling. Blaise held Draco back, but he did not bother to hide his furious glare at Pansy.

"What is going on here?" professor McGonagall marched over to the three Slytherins while the rest of the class watched on. "Mr. Malfoy, explain yourself."

But Draco's head was swirling with confusion again; the small voice that had penetrated through just a second ago had been once again bullied into submission by the power of the imperius curse. He looked around blankly, appearing as if he were lost.

"Professor, I think Draco might be need to go to the hospital wing, he wasn't feeling well earlier today, right Malfoy," he muttered to Draco.

"Oh, yeah, right, I have a horrible headache," echoed Draco as if her were a parrot simply repeating lines it had been trained to say.

Professor McGonagall looked down at them sternly, but allowed Blaise to lead Draco out of the room anyway. Hermione saw Blaise glare at Pansy as he passed, and Pansy looked terribly frightened. Like a child who had done something that they were specifically told not to do.

Blaise practically shoved Draco out of the room and into the hall. He dragged Draco by his robes through the halls until he was out of hearing range of McGonagall, he was actually relieved when Draco started protesting, and shoving back. Finally Draco freed himself, "get the fuck off me Zabini."

Blaise paid him no attention, "come on, we've got a letter to send."

"About what?" argued Draco. The confusion was now nearly gone from his head, and he once again felt the lightheaded emptiness consuming him. He was being commanded to act as he normally would, and that was exactly what he was doing.

Blaise never answered Draco's question, nor did he take Draco to the hospital wing, he instead brought him straight to the owlry. Once they were outside the door, Blaise stopped short, "you stay here, and don't move! Draco sneered at the audacity of Blaise daring to give him an order.

Blaise meanwhile stepped inside, presumably to write the letter. Draco, who was still not completely himself was looking around in a bit of a daze. Since he didn't have anywhere else to go, he waited outside for Blaise. As he waited, he thought. Something in him felt as though he shouldn't be obeying the voice in his head. But there was nothing else to follow, so he couldn't explain where the feeling was coming from.

He stopped thinking about it when Blaise returned a few minutes later. There was just enough time for the boys to return to class to pick up their bags before they had to go to Herbology. They moved swiftly through the halls, and Blaise prepped Draco on the way. "ok Malfoy, remember, we went to the hospital wing, you took a headache potion, and now you're feeling fine, got it?"

Draco snorted arrogantly, "what the fuck makes you think that I didn't already know that myself Zabini?"

Blaise breathed a little easier. The two Slytherins reentered the transfiguration room just as the bell rang, they pushed passed the exiting students to get their stuff, and then they joined the herd piling out of the room.

- - - -

Hermione frowned when Zabini made up that excuse about Draco not feeling well. Draco had felt perfectly fine this morning and she knew it. Something was definitely going on here. But at the same time, she had been happy to see Draco so adamantly shoo Pansy away . . .'about time' she had thought. She had sent Pansy a few smug glares while Draco was gone, but Pansy never once looked her way. She finally seemed to be attempting to work, but something was obviously on her mind.

Hermione knew something was going on now, she was sure of it, and she was no longer going to allow herself to deny it or ignore the signs. With her mind made up, she decided she would demand answers from Draco that night. And if he didn't giver her acceptable answers . . . then she didn't want to think about what she may have to do.

At the end of class, she was not able to get Draco's attention. But that didn't surprise her; it only served to solidify her decision to question him about it that night. For the rest of the day, she focused on her school work, not allowing thoughts of the confrontation to come to cloud her mind. Unlike most people, who get stressed out by schoolwork, Hermione found herself relaxed by it. Schoolwork was familiar; it was comfortable, schoolwork she could handle. All this drama with Draco on the other hand, . . . that was awkward and still rather unfamiliar territory.

Draco was not in the common room when Hermione got back after classes had ended. She went to her room and sat on her bed with Crookshanks in her lap. "There is something going on with Draco, isn't there?" she looked at him, and he stared right back at her. She frowned, and bit her lip nervously. She closed her eyes and tried to think back to when Crookshanks had started acting strangely. Her first guess was back when school started up again, but that didn't quite feel right because she had remembered a couple tense interactions between them over break.

'There has to be something that started it,' Hermione thought hard, racking her brain for something she was overlooking. Crookshanks was looking at her anxiously, but that did nothing to help her figure it out. As if he could read her mind, Crookshanks suddenly leapt off her lap to the floor. He stood by the side of the bed and put his paw on a book.

Hermione looked at him curiously, "Crookshanks," she laughed, "what are you doing?"

Crookshanks touched his nose to the book, looked up at her, and then touched his nose to the book again, as if to give her a clue.

Hermione looked closer at the book, "Don't tell me that you're going to try to ruin that for me too!" she said once she realized what book it was. She leaned over to pick it up. Crookshanks followed by leaping back onto the bed and settling himself next to her. "This is the book Draco got me for Christmas," she told him, "the one that has the story I started reading while we were in . . ." comprehension dawned on Hermione's face, "while we were in Hogsmeade! That's it! That's when you started attacking him, after he went to Hogsmeade with Zabini!"

Crookshanks meowed, as if to confirm what she had said.

Now Hermione's mind was racing. Had Zabini done something to him in Hogsmeade? Hermione wouldn't put it past him. But what could Zabini have possibly done to him that would change him so much? "Crookshanks, did Zabini do something to him?"

But Crookshanks just looked blankly back at her. She sighed dejectedly, 'what is going on?' she thought. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. Draco hanging out with his old horrible gang of Slytherins, lying to professor McGonagall to get out of class, Crookshanks trying to tear him to pieces, it all pointed to something very bad.

But at the same time, Draco himself still acted the same; he looked and sounded the same. He had clearly been mad at Pansy for flirting with him the way she had been. The thoughts were so conflicting and confusing in her head that she just wanted to scream. 'Why does everything always have to be so complicated?' she asked herself desperately.

She then heard the click of the portrait door being opened and closed, and the soft sound of Draco's footsteps on the carpet. "Hermione?" he called.

- - - -

In a cold shadowy house not too far from Hogwarts, the Dark Lord sat in front of a dingy fireplace. Nagini, his giant snake was curled up in front of the dancing flames like a combination of both a pet dog and a small rug. The snake raised its head as it sensed something approaching. It directed its attention to the open window, where a light breeze was fluttering through the torn curtain. Lord Voldemort followed Nagini's gaze, and sure enough within seconds a large dominating looking screech owl landed on the arm of Voldemort's chair. "Now, who would be writing to Lord Voldemort?" he asked aloud as he untied the scroll from the owls' leg. The owl stood deathly still, and launched itself into the air as soon as it was free; it was as if it were terrified of the Dark magical aura surrounding the house, and in particularly the addressee of the letter.

"What have we got here?" Lord Voldemort asked rhetorically. Nagini directed her attention to her master, as if she could understand what the letter said.

_Honorable Master,_

_He is beginning to fight it; I can see it in his eyes. He seemed to snap out of it for a split second today in class. It was Parkinson; she's pressing him too strong. I am concerned that we may have put too much faith in her ability to restrain herself until he is truly one of us. She is quickly growing impatient, but I will be sure to punish her for her mistake. Do not worry my Lord; I make sure that she does not jeopardize the plan again. But if it's not too bold, my Lord, I think that the sooner we complete the second half, the better, and I know that you are eager to continue with more important matters. I shall await your instructions, and until then I shall watch both him and Parkinson as closely as possible. _

_B. Zabini_

Upon reading the letter, a loud hiss issued from Lord Voldemort's lips. Nagini picked her head up and looked upon her master with interest. Voldemort began speaking in the low hissing language of parseltounge, "It seems as though we have slightly underestimated the strength and will-power of the young Malfoy."

Nagini hissed angrily.

Voldemort chuckled, "do not fear my dear Nagini, you shall be dining on mudblood flesh very soon."

Nagini flicked her tongue in and out several times as if she could already taste the sweet warm crimson blood and the tender flesh that she was so looking forward to.

Lord Voldemort glanced at the letter in his hand. The young Death Eater was right; it would be unwise to risk further rebellion by waiting much longer. Voldemort stood and walked to the fireplace, he pointed his wand at the heart of the flames and muttered a spell. The spell worked on the same principal as floo powder. It used the floo network to link two or more separate fireplaces together temporarily. The spell was complicated to master, so most witches and wizards did not bother to learn it. Lord Voldemort however, found the spell much more preferable than sending himself spiraling through the dirty floo network.

A small circle swirled amidst the flames, gradually expanding until it revealed a room. The room was richly furnished with lavish and expensive furniture. Everything was bedecked with the finest emerald and black fabrics. The floor was highly polished, and every inch of it reeked of snobbish taste and extravagant wealth. "Lucius!" bellowed the Dark Lord.

Almost immediately, the small figure of Lucius Malfoy appeared in the center of the room, he was staring into the room at Lord Voldemort. "Lucius, if you would be so kind as to join me." If the Dark Lord's words were congenial, his tone certainly was not. The harsh iciness of his words caused Lucius to tense as if the Dark Lord were shouting. Without a word, and hardly a pause, he slowly stepped forward through the floo network and into his Masters' room. He wore an unreadable expression, trying not to show fear for this sudden meeting between the two men. The room, which had before been in the flames, seemingly melted away as Lucius stepped through. Lucius bowed deeply, awaiting orders from his Master.

"Lucius, can you assure me that the initiation grounds are secure for our use?"

"Yes Master, they are completely secure for us to use at anytime you choose," responded Lucius as coolly as possible.

"Excellent, then we are to proceed with the ceremony as soon as possible," announced the Dark Lord.

Lucius paused, "forgive me Master, but why the sudden rush?"

"Do you mean to question the authority of Lord Voldemort?" Voldemort hissed venomously.

Lucius cowered, "No Master! I would never dream of questioning you, I only wished to clarify the plan. Forgive me Master!" pleaded Lucius, bowing again.

Lord Voldemort sneered, "because your foolish son is beginning to resist the curse."

Lucius made no response.

"If all is secure, then you may go, I shall notify you once the time and date are set."

"Yes Master," Lucius bowed again, and then apparated out of the room with a pop.

Lord Voldemort's lips curled after Lucius left. He was tired of this childish plot, and was eager to see it over with. He waved his hands, and out of thin air, there appeared a sheaf of parchment and an eagle quill. He scratched out a letter, and with a wave of his wand, an eagle owl flew into his room and landed on the back of the armchair. Voldemort attached the letter to the owl, and sent it on its way to deliver Lord Voldemort's instructions.

- - - -

There was a knock on the door, "Hermione you here?" Draco asked softly as he inched Hermione's door open. Crookshanks immediately hissed and charged, "Crookshanks no!" yelled Hermione. She grabbed him, and carried him out to the common room before he could get a good swipe at Draco. She then returned to her original position on her bed, not looking at her boyfriend.

Draco watched as she removed Crookshanks from the room and sat on the bed, he then calmly sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. "Is everything alright?" Draco put his hand on her thigh as he asked. It was not a seductive gesture, just a comforting one. But with the thoughts of the discussion she intended to have with him in her head, the feel of his hand on her leg made her tense all the same. Draco how ever didn't appear to notice the effect it had on her.

"I've just been thinking about something," she said quietly with her head facing down.

"About what?" he asked, trying to catch her eye to get her complete attention.

"Well, it's more about who than what," she said evasively.

"Who? Has someone been causing problems for you? Wait, let me guess, is it Parkinson who was bothering you? After Blaise and I left transfiguration?" guessed Draco, with an angry look at the thought of Pansy.

"No . . . well yes, no. You're close though," said Hermione, trying to find a way to bring up the topic lightly. "Pansy was pissing me off, but not after you left."

"Was it what she was doing before I left?" clarified Draco.

"Yeah," answered Hermione bitterly. "But that's not what I was really thinking about, and she's not the one who's got me worried." She looked at Draco only to find him looking back at her with an expression of blank confusion.

Hermione sighed, deciding to just get on with it. "Draco, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but _you're_ the one who's worrying me."

Draco opened and closed his mouth a couple times, his expression still surprisingly blank. Finally after he seemed to have worked out what to say, he spoke "pray tell what is the _right_ way to take that when I wasn't even aware that I was doing anything wrong?"

"It's just, I've noticed some changes in you lately," said Hermione cautiously.

"Like what?" asked Draco defiantly.

"Today for example, why did you lie to professor McGonagall about having a headache to get out of class? Because I know that was a lie."

"Let's get something straight here," said Draco shortly, "_I_ did not lie to McGonagall, Blaise did."

"But you went along with it, which in my opinion is just as bad!" challenged Hermione.

Draco huffed, "Interesting," he began sarcastically, "I was under the impression that you would appreciate my efforts to get away from Pansy no matter how I did it. However, now that I know you have a problem with it, the next time she decides to act like that in class, I'll just let her have at it. Would that make you happy?"

Draco's retort had felt like a slap in the face to Hermione, "No," she said with frustration, "that's not what I meant and you know it."

"Then what the hell _did _you mean?"

"I just meant that I don't like you lying!"

"Like I said before," said Draco stiffly, "_I_ didn't lie to anyone."

"Fine! That's not even what this is really about anyway!" shouted Hermione angrily.

"What else then?" barked Draco with just as much aggravation as Hermione.

"Why have you been hanging out with you old gang so much lately?"

Draco jumped off the bed in a steadily increasing rage. "Shit Hermione! They're not a gang! They're my friends. And I _never_ get on your case for hanging around Potter and the Weasel's so much!"

"Leave my friends out of this!" roared Hermione also leaping off the bed. She and Draco were now standing a few feet apart, and they were glaring daggers at each other. "And those idiots aren't your friends!" Hermione continued shouting, completely ignoring the way Draco balled up his fists, and furrowed his brow with rage. "You can't stand the way Pansy acts around you, and I can't even count the number of times you've told me how brainless and useless Crabbe and Goyle are! And Zabini . . ." Hermione stopped abruptly, what she wanted to say was that she didn't trust Zabini one bit. Yet, since she had no real concrete reasoning as to why, she hesitated.

"Well," said Draco, his voice filled with impatient annoyance.

Hermione ushered up her Gryffindor courage, looked Draco dead in the eye, and that was when she saw it clearly for the first time. His eyes should have been a dark violent gray, swirling with anger as they always did when he was angry. But now they were just gray, revealing no inner emotion at all, it was as if he was suddenly heartless, "I don't trust Zabini," she said decidedly.

Draco scoffed, "of course you don't!"

"I have my reasons!" yelled Hermione.

"Oh, well then" Draco's voice was a drawl dripping with sarcasm and mockery, "please, do share. What has evil Blaise Zabini done to earn Hermione's distrust?" he taunted. "This should be good," he added after a slight pause.

Hermione pursed her lips and tried not to look as hurt as she felt. The way he was speaking to her reminded her all too clearly of the way he had always spoken to her in their first five years of Hogwarts, when they had hated each other. She hated it, and it made her want to hate him all over again. "I don't trust him because the day Crookshanks started attacking you was the day you and Zabini went to Hogsmeade, "she paused, then spoke firmly and authoritatively "what did you two do there?" She sent him an accusing glare, not allowing him to break eye contact with her.

The voice inside Draco's head that had rebelled against the curse that morning flared up inside him again. "Tell her the truth!" is shouted desperately. But the voice was much weaker than it had been before. It was only loud enough to cause the faintest flicker in his eyes. But unlike before, when the voice had shouted, and then disappeared completely, this time the voice did not quiet down, and it did not go away. The voice was determined to be heard and obeyed, but it was not strong enough to overcome the Dark Lord's imperius curse. So it was the Dark Lord's voice that Draco obeyed when he spoke, "I told you, _nothing_ happened, we went to Three Broomsticks, Zonko's, Honeydukes, all the places people normally go to when they go to Hogsmeade! For God's sake stop being paranoid!"

But this time, Hermione didn't buy it. This time she had seen the flicker in his eye, though she didn't know what it meant. She did however know one thing, "you're lying," she stated quietly, yet very firmly.

"I'm NOT fucking lying!" roared Draco.

"You are Draco! I can see it in your eyes!" screamed Hermione furiously, "Now tell me the truth!"

'Tell her! Tell her what really happened,' ordered Draco's voice.

'NO!' roared the more powerful snakelike voice. The battle going on between Draco's conscience and the imperius curse was raging far worse than his verbal battle with Hermione. The confusion was like a tornado in his brain. He couldn't decide which voice to listen to, and it was making him crazy. Yet in the end, the icy voice of evil overpowered his own voice, and he continued with the lie. "I _am _telling you the truth, you're just too damn stubborn to believe me because then you'd have to admit you were wrong!"

Hermione was horrified and speechless with the way he spoke. She pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and glared at Draco. "Get out," she said in a harsh whisper.

"What?" Draco said with disbelief.

"Get out!" she spoke louder and more demanding, pointing towards the door.

Draco looked furious, but even so, he stormed out of the room. But as soon as he did, Crookshanks, who had apparently been stalking the door for his chance, leapt up and sank his claws into Draco's chest, tearing through his shirt. Draco screamed out, more with rage than pain, he wrenched the cat off him, and threw him violently into Hermione's room. He then slammed her door with such a force that her furniture rattled, and the door nearly broke off its hinges.

Crookshanks arched his back and hissed violently at the door. But Hermione couldn't decide whether she wanted to scream or cry. She threw herself onto her bed, and screamed ferociously into her pillow so that the sound was muffled. With her rage somewhat released, the tears took their turn. The salty drops spread through her pillowcase, making it moist against her skin. She felt Crookshanks hop up next to her and rub his head against her in what she supposed was a comforting gesture. But it didn't help. She was so furious, that she didn't know what to do; and she quickly found that she couldn't sit still. She passed across her room quickly, breathing deeply with rage, her tears had quickly subsided leaving only her anger. After a while where she found herself unwilling to remain cooped up in her room all alone, and unwilling to even look at Draco let alone speak to Draco, she flung her door open so hard that it swung back on it's hinges and slammed shut after her. She shoved the portrait door open, and ignored the indignant shouts from the pictures occupants reprimanding her for opening their portrait too harshly.

Hermione stomped through the hall to the portrait of the Fat Lady, "peppermint imps!" she spat.

The portrait opened and Hermione stormed inside. She glanced around and spotted two redheads sitting by the fire. Without even looking at the other students inside, she charged straight over to the seating by the fire, and flung herself in an empty armchair. She glowered at the floor, still breathing angrily.

Ron, Harry and Ginny, abruptly stopped their conversation and stared at Hermione when she sat down. For a long moment they watched her and exchanged confused and wary looks with each other. But Hermione paid them no attention at all. Her mind was reeling, she was thinking about what Draco was lying about, how he could have spoken to her like he had, and what she was going to do about it now.

Finally after it became clear that Hermione was not going to talk, Harry spoke up, "hey Hermione," he said "wanna talk about it?" He didn't even bother asking if something was wrong since it was undeniably obvious to everyone that there was a problem.

Hermione huffed, but didn't say anything. She just frowned deeper. Her behavior was frightening her friends quite a bit. They had rarely seen Hermione lose her cool, but it seemed that every time she was angry like this there was only one person responsible.

"What did he do?" asked Ginny calmly. All four of the friends knew who 'he' was. And even Harry and Ron were interested to know what he had done this time.

"We had a huge fight," Hermione said flatly. Her friends were surprised to not hear any trace of sadness in her voice. It was very strange. "Anyway, I asked him why he's been hanging around with those ugly trolls he calls friends so much lately, and he never gave me a straight answer. I figured out that Crookshanks only started acting weird after Draco went with Zabini to Hogsmeade, so I asked him what they did there and he lied to me. I could see it in his eyes, he stood there and lied straight to my face, and then he denied it." Hermione shook her head, "I'm just so mad at him right now, I can't even tell you!"

"He didn't try to hurt you did he?" asked Ron worriedly. He and Harry were both looking anxiously at Hermione, they seemed to be much more concerned with Hermione's safety than with what was going on with Draco.

"Well," recalled Hermione, "Crookshanks attacked him pretty bad, so Draco threw him across the room, and then he practically broke the door off the wall because he slammed it so hard, but no he never even tried to hurt me."

Ron and Harry breathed a little easier after having their primary concern alleviated. "Still," said Ron, "if he was really that mad, then I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you go back there alone."

"Thanks," sighed Hermione, "I don't want to be there anyway, I think I would blow something up if I saw him again tonight anyway.

Ron laughed, "would that something be his head?" he asked hopefully.

Hermione let out a small but appreciative laugh at Ron's attempt to lighten the mood, "if I saw him now, then it just might be."

There was a heavy pause after that comment. Ginny was looking supportively at Hermione, though she was a bit shocked by Hermione's anger. Ron meanwhile was looking at her hopefully, "so," he said awkwardly. "Does that mean that you guys broke up?"

Hermione looked up quickly, she didn't focus on anything in particular, rather she seemed to be thinking hard. "I don't know," she finally said, "I guess we'll see about that tomorrow."

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**A/N**: For anyone who's as much as an animal lover as I am, I would like you to know that Crookshanks was in no way harmed when Draco threw him across the room because he landed on the bed. Just thought I'd let everyone know that. 

I hope everyone found that chapter to be worth the wait. I will do my best to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. In the meantime, reviews are always appreciated, you all are the best!


	16. Chapter 16: It's Over

**Disclaimer: **No matter how hard I wish I did, I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **I had to rewrite this chapter like 3 times because I couldn't decide how much I wanted to include. I ended up including more than I anticipated because otherwise it was too short and there wasn't enough plot development. So instead of being really short, it ended up rather long.Anyway I hope you all enjoy it. But first, to thank all the awesome people who reviewed chapter 15! I'm sorry I didn't write personal messages to everyone, but it was either write to everyone and delay the update, or update faster, so I hope you all agree with the choice I made.

_Zuvalupa, Fire Angel, __Karma Chameleon, LizMo721, __Anonymous-139, __torn to pieces, jesska-14, Sunflower18, Hermione Weasley192_ – Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews! I hope you like this chapter!  
_SharkAttak_ – Wow, I'm speechless. Thank you so much, I'm thrilled that you think my fic is really that good. I you like this chapter just as much!  
_Sayaku-chan _– I know what you mean about asking what happens, even though you don't really want to be told. I've always felt that the anticipation is half the fun anyway :o) I'm definitely glad to hear that your sanity is still in tact!  
_elektra30_ – oops, thanks for catching that, I think after I finish the fic I'm gonna go back and fix all my typo's and mistakes like that then repost it, so thanks for helping me catch the small errors. I'm not exactly sure how the imperius curse works, so with the way I've tried to write it, the person who is being cursed has the ability to fight back if their will-power is strong enough, that's why Draco fights hardest around Hermione, she gives him the strength to do what he isn not strong enough to do on his own.

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**Chapter 16: It's Over**

Once he had retreated to the solitude of his own room, Draco's anger disappeared rather quickly. Without Hermione to spark the rebellion within him, there was nothing to occupy his mind, and therefore nothing to muddle his thoughts. Yet welling deep within him, like a volcano slowly building to the point of explosion, there was an intense anger. With Hermione out of sight the voice may have become silent, but it was not done raging. Draco's will-power was gradually building up strength; the real Draco wanted to fight the curse that was upon him. The real Draco knew that he had to overpower the Dark Lord's curse, but finding the strength almost impossibly difficult. His will-power was undoubtedly strongest when Hermione was around, but it was not yet strong enough to win the battle.

Draco, whose conscience was unaware of the real him lurking deep down in his soul, slept soundly with the blissfully disturbing emptiness that the curse provided. He awoke the next morning with barely a thought of what had happened with Hermione the night before. He did recall that they had fought, and the voice which was controlling him didn't give a damn about Hermione, so Draco didn't attempt to wake her up before he left for breakfast.

Hermione had chosen to sleep in the Gryffindor girls' dormitory that night. Her old bed was still empty in her old dorm, so she slept there. She spoke with her old roommates a little before she went to sleep, even though she was not at all keen to talk. She was still fuming over the fight with Draco when she finally fell asleep.

She seemed to have gone over her fight with Draco continuously in her sleep and she did not like the feeling it had left her with when she woke up. Guilt. 'Honestly,' she thought to herself, 'so what if I saw something in his eyes, it was probably just his anger with me for confronting him like I did. He was right, he didn't even really do anything to deserve me going off on him the way I did.' She sighed dejectedly. Normally when they fought, Hermione was able to place at least some of the blame on Draco. This time however, she knew it was all her fault. She was not looking forward to apologizing to him because he had been right; she hated admitting that she was wrong.

With a heavy sigh, she forced herself out of bed. In the common room, all the Gryffindors were talking in loud excited tones; it took Hermione a moment to remember that there was a quidditch game today. Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw, if Gryffindor won, they would be competing against Slytherin in the running for the quidditch cup.

Hermione tried to bypass everyone without being seen, but Ginny caught her before she could maneuver her way through the crowd. "Hermione where are you going?" We're all just about to head down to breakfast."

"I'll meet you guys there," Hermione practically had to shout to be heard over all the excitement. "I want to get changed into some clean clothes first." Ginny nodded, and Hermione shoved her way through the crowd, then out the portrait until she was finally able to breathe in the hall.

She could feel her nerves tighten with every step she took. 'Please don't be mad, please don't be mad,' she kept repeating to herself. It seemed to take much longer than usual to reach the Founders portrait, but when she did, she stopped to take a deep breath.

"Looks like someone finally found her way home," joked the painting of Godric. He and Rowena were sitting in their chairs, Godric was smiling, but Rowena looked concerned.

"That sounded like some fight you two had last night," said Rowena.

Hermione immediately felt the heat rush to her cheeks, "you could hear us huh?"

"It was rather difficult not to," laughed Godric heartily.

"I just hope that Draco accepts my apology. I'm kind of afraid to face him at the moment," admitted Hermione shyly.

"Well, you don't need to worry about that right now," said Rowena, "he left about five minutes ago."

"He did?" Hermione couldn't decide whether she should be relieved or disappointed, "did he seem upset?"

"Not particularly," mused Godric, "although it is rather difficult to tell with Slytherins isn't it?" he added, clearly not only thinking about Draco.

Hermione let out a hollow laugh, "well thank you, but I really must be going now. Your two houses will be competing against each other in quidditch today."

"Really!" the two founders shouted excitedly.

Hermione said the password, and then chuckled softly and listened to the founders' debate over which of their houses would win as their voices faded along with the closing of the portrait. She didn't bother to check Draco's room, instead she just went straight to her room to quickly wash up and get changed.

Ten minutes later, Hermione was one hallway away from the Great Hall when she heard the doors open and a set of solitary footsteps moving briskly through the empty hall. She could hear a male voice; he seemed to be muttering something to himself. Hermione chose to remain hidden in the hallway until the person passed. She watched from the shadows as Blaise Zabini passed by, he was reading a piece of parchment, and apparently talking to himself in response to whatever the parchment said. "Finally," she heard him mutter excitedly, "now to make sure the preparations are set."

Hermione frowned. She did not like the sound of what he had said, nor the manner in which he had said it one bit. It sounded like he and whoever the letter writer was were plotting something. 'But,' she reminded herself, 'even if that creep Zabini is planning something, that doesn't mean that Draco has anything to do with it.'

She slowly emerged from the hallway into the Entrance Hall and spared a quick backward glance in the direction that Zabini had gone. She would have continued pondering what she had heard, but once she opened the doors to the Great Hall, all of her thoughts were drowned out by the thunderous commotion that blasted over her. Once she sat down, even she began to feel the excitement of the impending quidditch match seeping into her. She had no doubt that Gryffindor would win, but it was always exciting to see Harry and Ron play.

Soon, the Gryffindor team left amidst thunderous applause from the Gryffindor table and an equally loud chorus of boos from the Slytherins (including, to Hermione's annoyance, Draco). When the Ravenclaw team left, the Slytherin boos turned to cheers, since the Slytherins had already beaten Ravenclaw, they were rooting for them to beat Gryffindor.

Shortly after the two teams left, the mob of students trampled down to the quidditch stands, everyone was eager for an exciting game. Hermione seated herself in between Ginny and Lavender, and then directed her eyes to center of the pitch, anxiously awaiting the teams' arrival. Ravenclaw came out first. They were greeted by raucous cheers from the Slytherins and Ravenclaws, polite applause from the Hufflepuffs, and stony silence from the Gryffindors. The cheers were not quite as loud for the Gryffindors, mostly due to the fact that the Slytherins were so keen on making their boos and taunts heard.

All through breakfast, Draco had felt an inexplicable feeling of anticipation that had nothing to do wit the quidditch match. The voice in his head seemed to be looking forward to something much bigger and more important that some silly quidditch game.

Draco was walking down to the pitch along with the rest of the crowd when a hand grabbed him roughly, and caused him to stumble backward, "what gives?" he spat as he whipped around to face the person responsible. He found himself face to face with Blaise.

The other students kept moving passed them. Blaise was looking excitedly at Draco, "today's the day," he whispered.

"The day for what?" asked Draco, completely stumped, but excited nonetheless.

"Come on, and I'll remind you," whispered Blaise maliciously. He led Draco into the dungeons. There was literally no one inside the castle as everyone was tromping outside to watch the quidditch game.

"What's this all about?" Draco asked as they entered the empty common room.

"After the quidditch match, you will lead the mu . . . you will lead Granger to the edge of the forest," Blaise had almost said 'the mudblood' but he stopped himself. He didn't want to risk provoking Draco to rebel again, not when they were this close to finishing the plot. Blaise continued giving Draco instruction, "there will be a portkey waiting for you at the edge of the forest by the greenhouses, you'll know it when you see it. You and Granger will take the portkey to its destination, and then, we will be finished with this," Blaise finished with relish.

The majority of Draco's brain agreed with what Blaise was saying. The cold voice in his head was telling him to do the same thing. The voice was ordering Draco so strongly that there was little room for Draco's mind to rebel.

The match was invigorating, but the Gryffindors were relying on Harry to catch the snitch because Gryffindor was behind by 40 points. Both teams were playing exceptionally, but despite Ron's improved ability at being a keeper, the Ravenclaw chasers were simply too good at faking him out. So they managed to get passed him several times. The Ravenclaw seeker had attempted the Wronski Feint once already to deceive Harry, but Harry's sharp eyes were not to be fooled.

After over half an hour of play, the Gryffindors were getting anxious. But the snitch had yet to make an appearance, and the match was beginning to get rough. No quidditch matches were ever as blatantly violent as those between Slytherin and Gryffindor, but this one was getting awfully close. Several players would be nursing serious bruises when the match was over.

Finally, after nearly an hour of play, Harry spotted the tiny golden snitch. The Ravenclaw seeker spotted it as well, but his broom could never rival the speed of Harry's Firebolt. Everyone held their breath as Harry skillfully wove his way around the other players and bludgers. The snitch changed direction, now it was heading upwards. Harry followed and with a burst of speed, and caught it tightly in his fist.

The Ravenclaws and Slytherins groaned, but their disappointment was drowned out by the booming cheers from the scarlet and gold supporters. Hermione joined the rest of the Gryffindors as they cheered and flooded the field to congratulate Harry and the rest of the team. She beamed at Harry and Ron, and then gave both of them congratulatory hugs.

"Party in common room!" someone shouted, and the mob of Gryffindors began to move towards the castle, still talking and cheering excitedly. Hermione was never one to be in the center of the excitement, so she strayed towards the back of the crowd. She followed them into the castle, but once she was in the entrance hall, someone called her name, causing her to stop. She saw Draco leaning against the wall by the entrance to the dungeons.

"Hi," she said cautiously. She was suddenly reminded of the huge fight they had had the night before. Deciding not to beat around the bush, she spoke up, "Draco, I wanted to apologize for last night. You were right; I had no reason to blow up at you like that." She paused, "I'm sorry."

To her relief, Draco smiled. But his smile did not quite reach his eyes, which seemed completely expressionless. Not cold exactly, just lacking in emotion. "I forgive you," he said smoothly, causing Hermione to smile. Draco pushed himself off of the wall, and strode towards her.

Hermione maintained her smile, but remained rather wary of his actions. She was again feeling that something was not right, though she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Was it just her, or had Draco accepted her apology a little too easily? It wasn't like him to be that forgiving or easy to deal with. She looked up at him standing in front of her. "Was there something you wanted?" she asked, "because I have a celebration to get to."

Draco rolled his eyes, "actually there is." He smirked mischievously, "come with me." He grabbed her wrist and started to lead her back outside.

"Draco!" she protested lightly, "can't this wait for some other time, I want to go to the party."

Draco turned back and kissed her, he only backed away slightly to speak, "this won't take long, I promise."

Hermione could feel his hot enticing breath against her lips as he spoke. Her curiosity quickly got the better of her. "Well, I suppose I could spare a few minutes then," she agreed.

Draco smiled, and began quickly leading her across the grounds towards the greenhouses.

The party had been going on in the Gryffindor common room for a good 20 minutes before Ron noticed that someone was missing, "Hey Harry!" he called over all the din, "have you seen Hermione?"

"Umm, no, I haven't," answered Harry, shouting above the noise. "Maybe she went to her common room."

"Do you really think she'd skip out on the party to go there?" asked Ron.

"I don't know," Harry shrugged.

"I'm gonna go get her to come down for a while, she should be enjoying the party too," decided Ron.

Harry shrugged again, and then turned to talk to some of the other Gryffindors, while Ron maneuvered his way through the crowded common room to the portrait door. He jogged down to the Founders portrait. "Hi," he said to the founders when he got there.

"Did we win!" asked Godric excitedly.

"What? Oh, err yeah, we beat them by 110 points," answered Ron.

"Yes!" cheered Godric.

But Ron frowned; surely Hermione would have told them the outcome of the match if she had been by. "Umm, you haven't by any chance seen Hermione have you?" he asked.

"No," answered Helga, "we haven't seen her or Draco since breakfast."

Ron's eyes went wide, "thank you for your help," he muttered to the founders. He ran back to the Gryffindor common room to get Harry. Something wasn't right, Hermione was somewhere with that snake. But last night she hadn't even wanted to be in the same room as him, so what was going on?

Ron barged into the common room, and dragged Harry into the corner. "Harry, where's the map?"

"What? Why?" asked Harry with confusion.

"She's somewhere with Malfoy, I'm sure of it, I just want to know where cause neither of them have been to the common room since breakfast," answered Ron.

Harry started, then without a word, he led Ron up to their dormitory to get the marauders map. Harry rummaged through his trunk and pulled it out. He put the tip of his wand to it, and whispered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." He held the map open for both him and Ron to scan. His eyes instantly went to the heads common room, the library, and the dungeons, but he didn't see her or Malfoy anywhere, "Do you see them?" asked Harry, thinking that he just missed them somewhere.

"No, I was hoping you did," answered Ron with trepidation.

The boys scanned the map thoroughly for a couple more minutes until they finally determined that neither Hermione nor Malfoy were anywhere to be found on the Hogwarts grounds. Harry dropped the map, but Ron continued looking at it, but as soon as Harry had stopped concentrating to intently on searching, he realized that his scar had begun burning slightly again. He raised his hand to it, Hermione and Malfoy were missing, and it was too much to hope that the burning had nothing to do with their disappearance. "We've got to go tell Dumbledore," he said suddenly.

"Yeah," breathed Ron, looking worried.

Harry pocketed the map and the two boys raced out of the dormitory.

"Blaise! Blaise! Pansy! I told you they left already!" Crabbe said harshly to Goyle, who was scanning the dungeons for Blaise and or Pansy.

Crabbe and Goyle had been searching the Dungeons for Blaise and Pansy for 20 minutes already, ever since the quidditch game ended.

"He's going to kill us if we're late!" warned Goyle.

"I know that you moron," shouted Crabbe with annoyance as they passed professor Snape's office.

Snape heard the last two calls of the two gorilla-like Slytherins as they passed. "Crabbe! Goyle!" he barked at them. The two stopped and entered his office.

"Professor? What are you doing here?" asked Crabbe.

"Yeah, aren't you going to the ceremony?" asked Goyle stupidly.

Professor Snape furrowed his brow slightly; he decided to play along to find out what was going on. "Of course, I just have a few things to finish up here first," he said silkily, "are you both looking forward to it?" he asked, hoping the two would be stupid enough to give him some valuable information.

He was in luck, "Of course professor," answered Crabbe excitedly, "aren't you happy that Lucius is finally going to kill that annoying mudblood?"

Professor Snape kept his shock inside, so as not to give anything away. "It is terribly exciting," he drawled, "remind me, when and where does this glorious event take place?"

"It's starting any minute professor at the initiation grounds, so we better go. See you there!" said Crabbe as he rushed Goyle out of the room.

"Draco where are we going?" asked Hermione as he led her towards the edge of the forest. The grounds were now deserted and Hermione couldn't imagine what Draco was so eager to show her, but the further he led her away from the castle, the greater the sense of foreboding stirring in her stomach grew, and she began to struggle against him. But despite her hesitation and noises of protest, he gripped her tighter and pulled her harder. They finally stopped at the edge of the forest by the greenhouses. Draco began searching for something on the ground, but he didn't let go of Hermione's wrist. He pulled her arm rather roughly as he continued his search. His grip had grown surprisingly tight, so tight in fact that it was beginning to hurt. "Draco let go, you're hurting me," Hermione whimpered, she was actually scared with the way he was behaving now. No matter how angry he had ever gotten with her, he had never physically hurt her.

"Shut up," ordered Draco. But the voice that spoke was not the Draco Hermione knew. The Draco that spoke had a harsh voice that was as cold as ice.

Hermione froze, "Draco stop! I want to go back in!" there was a definite plea in her voice now.

Inside his head, the real Draco tried to rebel. It shouted orders to let Hermione go, but Lord Voldemort's commands were so powerful that Draco didn't even stand a chance. Finally Draco found what he had been commanded to look for, "aha!" he cried as he made to pick it up.

Hermione looked around him to see what it was, and what she saw made her heart stop. It was a scrap of parchment . . . a scrap of parchment with the symbol of the Dark Mark clearly printed on it in red ink. Hermione didn't even have time to run, for as soon as his fingers touched the parchment, the two of them were wrenched off their feet and sent hurtling through the air. Hermione felt as if her arm was going to be pulled out of its socket, but Draco's grip was unrelenting.

Finally, after traveling what much have been hundreds of miles, they landed with a thud in the center of a large clearing, surrounded by a forest of dense trees. The sky was quickly growing dark as the sun set; it was just about touching the tops of the trees. Draco still hadn't let got of Hermione's arm, so he pulled her roughly off the ground into a standing position. Hermione whimpered at the shooting pains in her arm, and looked around the clearing. She couldn't see anything beyond the trees, and she felt completely trapped. Draco finally let go of her arm, and she bolted a safe distance away so he could not grab her again. She massaged her wrist gently; she was hurt to see that a deep purple bruise had already begun to form. She could see a perfect outline of where Draco's fingers had been wrapped around so tightly her. "Take me back now!" she demanded. Her voice thankfully was steady and strong, so it did not betray any of the fear that she felt inside.

"Leaving so soon? But the party hasn't even begun," said a drawling voice Hermione had not heard in nearly a year, yet was still only too familiar with. Hermione whipped around to face the speaker and instinctively drew her wand, sure enough, she found herself face to face with Lucius Malfoy. He was stalking towards her with an evil glint in his eye and a cruel smirk on his face. Even when he was fully in the clearing, he was still mostly in shadow, because by now the sun had sunk below the tops of the trees. Hermione was breathing heavily, and she was backing away from Lucius when he spoke again, "we can't have you leave now; you're our guest of honor." There were several low chuckles following Lucius' words and Hermione looked around to see that more masked figures had stepped out of the forest, surrounding her and Draco in a circle.

She didn't know who to face, and she did her best to hide her fear. But the Death Eaters were closing in on her, and they seemed to sense her fear. She kept whipping around; she didn't like having Death Eaters all around her. She glanced desperately at Draco, but he seemed completely oblivious to everything, as if he truly didn't care. Her gaze lingered on him for a split second too long, for while she was still, two Death Eaters seized her tightly, and dragged her to the circle. Hermione screamed, and thrashed about in an attempt to escape, but the Death Eaters who held her were massive, and she could not remove herself from their grasp. Instead her struggling and cries only served to amuse the Death Eaters, their sniggers were like taunts. She was trapped. A muggle-born in a ring of Death Eaters, she didn't stop her struggle even though she knew it was hopeless. She was not going to give up and she was not going to give in to them without a fight. Across the circle, one man stepped forward and aimed his wand at her. Hermione could see his pale, nearly white hands, and his long spidery fingers around the wand. Hermione gasped, this was no Death Eater, this was Lord Voldemort himself, she struggled even harder, awaiting her own death.

Draco watched as the Death Eaters grabbed Hermione. Something inside him jolted, "stop them!" the real Draco demanded. "Do something! Do not let them hurt her!" Draco actually did step to obey the voice before the Dark Lord's voice ordered him to remain still, Draco brought his hands to his head trying to clear his mind and decide which voice to listen to.

Voldemort chucked, his wand was still pointed at Hermione, "silencio" he whispered coldly.

Hermione's cries of struggle went dead, and out of surprise, she stopped fighting. 'Why didn't he kill me?' she thought with fear.

Voldemort chuckled again, and as if he could read her mind, he spoke in an icy snakelike voice, "Have no fear, my dear mudblood, you shall die. But before you do, we will leave you with no doubt in your mind that no one escapes the power of Lord Voldemort."

Hermione stared at Voldemort, but his attention had turned to someone else, Draco. She too looked at Draco, she had actually forgotten to continue struggling, she didn't want to believe that anything was going to happen to Draco, were they going to kill him first? Or maybe they would just torture him then kill her. She was rather frightened at the sight of Draco, his eyes were closed, and his face was scrunched up as if he were in pain.

"Draco Malfoy!" bellowed Voldemort. "come here and stand before Lord Voldemort."

Instantly Draco's own voice was once again silenced, Draco's head snapped to attention and he obeyed Voldemort's command.

Hermione was shouting at Draco to stop, but her pleas were still rendered silent by the silencio charm that had been cast on her. She was leaning forward, as if hoping she would be able to run to him and stop him from obeying so willingly.

Voldemort continued speaking, "Now, repeat after me. I, Draco Malfoy, pledge to Lord Voldemort my lifetime of service."

Hermione's eyes went wide, and she thrashed about even more, silent screams of protest issuing from her mouth as Draco monotonously recited Voldemort's words.

Voldemort continued, "and as a Death Eaters I pledge to help cleanse the world of all whose blood is not pure."

Draco again repeated Voldemort's words without even a flinch. Hermione felt a tear fall down her cheek. She was desperate to stop him, but it was too late. He had taken the pledge, he was becoming a Death Eater.

Professor Snape waited until the footsteps of Crabbe and Goyle had completely faded; he then rushed out of his office. His cloak billowed out behind him all the way through the castle until he reached the gargoyle statue. He muttered the password, and cursed their staircase for not moving up faster. He did not bother to knock on the door, instead he charged directly in, "Headmaster!" he cried urgently.

"Yes Sevreus?" asked professor Dumbledore, he stood. The urgency in Snape's tone concerned him, for Snape never lost his cool.

Snape opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Harry and Ron, bursting into the office, both out of breath. Professor McGonagall was following them, looking very confused. "I'm sorry Albus, but Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley said they had an emergency!"

"It's Hermione!" cried Ron in between breaths, "she's missing somewhere with Malfoy, they're not anywhere on the grounds!"

Professor Dumbledore gave them a penetrating gaze, but before he spoke, Snape interrupted. "That is what I came to speak with you about professor. I have just been informed that there is some sort of ceremony going on possibly right now, from what I was told, Miss Granger's life is in danger."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed, professor McGonagall gasped, and Harry and Ron stood dumbstruck. "Do you know where they are Severus?"

"Yes," answered Snape.

Dumbledore conjured an old shoe out of thin air with his wand, "Severus, please have this transport us to the appropriate location, with any luck we will make it in time. Minerva, you will stay here in charge of the school." Professor McGonagall nodded.

"We're coming too!" demanded Harry, stepping bravely forward.

Professor Dumbledore gave both Harry and Ron one of his penetrating looks, and seemed to feel that too much time would be wasted by attempting to restrain them. "Very well," he replied. "Severus, is it ready?"

"Yes Headmaster," answered Snape.

"Everyone, grab a hold."

The four men grabbed onto the old shoe, and in an instant felt as if a large hook was pulling them by their navel through the air. They crashed up against each other as they traveled what seemed to be a very long way. Harry was thankful that he wasn't standing next to Snape; he didn't like the thought of crashing up against him. Finally they landed unceremoniously in a small wooded area there bodies each thudded loudly on the ground. As soon as they landed, they heard it, the painful screams of a young woman coupled with the sound of a man bellowing the most unforgivable curse of all. "Hermione!" Harry and Ron whispered in shock together.

Lord Voldemort smiled an evil snakelike grin, "kneel down, and present your left forearm."

Draco dropped to his knees, and raised the left sleeve of his robe. But he paused. The rebellious voice in the back of his mind was back. It was shouting at him to stand, shouting at him to walk away, to fight rather than to give in. In a daze, Draco slowly lifted his arm to the Dark Lord anyway. But even as he did so, he was concentrating more and more on the voice telling him to stop.

Voldemort inched his wand towards Draco's arm, but before he touched it, the silence of the night was broken,

"DRACO STOP! DON'T DO IT!" Hermione had finally regained the use of her voice. Voldemort glared at her, and Draco turned to her, and stood up.

'Hermione,' he thought. 'I have to save Hermione.

Voldemort could was enraged by Draco's actions. He was not about to let Draco fight the curse. It outraged him, the fact that some pathetic filthy mudblood had so much power over a pure-blood. She had power a man who should have been a very powerful wizard, one who in Voldemorts mind belonged amongst his followers, a man over whom only Voldemort should have had control. In one swift motion, Voldemort forced his wand upon Draco's left arm. The pain was sudden and excruciating but Draco did not scream. The pain had distracted him and taken his attention away from the voice telling him to fight. Now all he could hear was the icy voice telling him this is what he must do. Draco felt as if his arm was being pierced by thousands of tiny needles, all of which were on fire with the heat of the sun. The pain consumed him entirely, and against his will, he dropped to his knees, clutching his newly branded arm. The Mark itself was horribly ugly, the skull and serpent seemed to rise from beneath Draco's skin. It was as if the disgusting tattoo was made of Draco's own blood. But unlike blood, the Mark could not be washed away, and Draco's blood never burned black when it was touched like the Mark did.

As if they were from another world, Draco heard the cheers of the Death Eaters surrounding him. Yet amidst the clatter, he heard another sort of cry, a cry of agony and defeat. That was the sound to which Draco's head turned. Her cries seemed to resonate within his skull, but he didn't know what to do about them. The voice inside him was shouting at the top of it's lungs to go to her, and confusion was overwhelming Draco. He could not decide which voice to listen to. The icy voice was much louder, but this other voice seemed to be making much more sense. Draco found that he had a strong, yet inexplicable desire to follow the weaker voice. This decision seemed to make the voice grow louder and more determined.

"DRACO!" Hermione cried. "How could you!"

In a whirl of confusion Draco could see the salty tears pouring down her cheeks. But why was she crying, he was only doing what he was supposed to. What was so wrong? From deep inside Draco felt the drive to comfort her, to hold her, to wipe away her tears and assure her that everything would be alright.

Hermione was unable to control her desperate sobs, she didn't care. Draco had just betrayed not only her, but himself as well, she knew she was going to die, and she didn't care anymore, so she just let the tears fall.

"Shut up mudblood!" roared the all too familiar voice of Lucius Malfoy from beneath his black hood.

The attention of the entire circle turned to the sobbing girl and the Death Eater who was preparing to torture her. A good long torture before death was the sort of sport Death Eaters loved, and they were thirsting for her pain. With their attention occupied elsewhere, no one noticed that their newest member had shot to attention at the sound of the word mudblood. Draco's eyes were flashing. What had once been the weaker voice inside him was now easily loud enough to rival the icy voice that had once been dominating him. He cringed angrily at the word mudblood. He looked over at Hermione, seeing her clearly for the first time all night. He saw her hopeless tears falling into small puddles at her knees. A part of him knew that the scene was not right.

Draco saw his father aiming his wand at Hermione, Draco's brow furrowed, and his own hand, guided by his own self within him, absentmindedly reached for his own wand inside his pocket. The next moments passed in a blur for most everyone. So many things happened all at once that no one was quite sure what to make of anything. Hermione shot her head up and glared loathingly directly into Draco's eyes. But they only met for a brief second, for it was then that Lucius bellowed "CRUCIO!"

Hermione's eyes closed in immense pain, so she did not see Draco's reaction. It was as if a jolt of lightning shot through him, he blinked a few times, and glowered at Lucius. Before he even realized that he had regained control of himself, he aimed his wand at Lucius' heart and for the first time in his life, he roared "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

As he was shouting the words, there was a series of loud thuds, and mass panic ensued. Spells were flying everywhere, as the Death Eaters scattered around to figure out what was happening. Voldemort, who was not prepared for a duel quickly assessed the situation "GET OUT!" he ordered before dissaparating just in time to prevent being hit by one of Dumbledore's spells.

The Death Eaters began dissapparating away immediately after their Master . . . well not all of them. Draco seemed to be frozen, he wand still pointing directly at Lucius' dead body, which was seemingly unharmed except for the look of mild shock on his face. Hermione was lying on her stomach not to far from Lucius' body. She was breathing, even from a distance Draco could tell that, and it brought him immense relief to know that she was alright. He lowered his wand and made to comfort her, when someone stopped him by grabbing his robes. "Draco move!" shouted Pansy. "Come on!" she tried to force him to move, but he remained frozen in his place. He was still attempting to process everything that had happened; he couldn't recall what he had done before he had regained control of his conscience.

Distantly he heard footsteps running towards him, "Draco get out!" cried Pansy one last time.

"STUPIFY!" shouted Ron. Pansy dissapparated before the spell could reach her, but Draco, who had not moved an inch, was hit full force with the stunning spell.

Once Draco was stunned, the chaos cleared. Professor Snape, who had been lurking completely in shadow, walked to the center of the clearing and hovered over Draco, but did not attempt to revive him. Professor Dumbledore, Harry and Ron tended to Hermione. Luckily, Lucius' cruciatus curse hadn't lasted that long, so she awoke within a few short moments. When they saw her eyelids flutter open, Harry and Ron both breathed a huge sigh of relief. The moment Hermione saw them clearly; she launched herself at them sobbing. The two boys quickly overcame the surprise at her actions, and they both held her and whispered words of comfort to her.

Once her sobs subsided, and Dumbledore was sure that she was alright (physically at least), Dumbledore stood, "Now I must go revive Mr. Malfoy," he began walking to where Draco's stunned body lay.

Hermione's first thought was concern for Draco. But when she looked upon his body, her mind recalled all that had happened that night. Two words came to her mind loud and clear 'Death Eater'. She saw Dumbledore draw his wand and direct the tip towards Draco. Hermione shot up and shrieked, "No professor don't! He's a Death Eater!"

Dumbledore stopped and turned towards Hermione with a slight look of skepticism. "Miss Granger?"

Hermione began to breathe in and out so hard that she nearly caused herself to hyperventilate. Tears of anger began trickling down her face as she spoke, "that's what they were doing here. I saw him take the pledge, I saw Lord Voldemort brand him. They were going to Mark him, and then kill me. Just look at his arm." Hermione's tears had stopped, as if she were emotionally dried up; she was glowering at Draco with a look of complete revulsion. Every word she spoke was dripping with hate.

Snape bent down and slid up Draco's left sleeve. Even he gasped in shock. There it was, the foul blood red symbol of the Dark Mark. Hermione nearly vomited at the sight of the snake barring its teeth and protruding from the skulls mouth like a grotesque tongue.

Right before their eyes, the Mark turned from blood red to black, it stood out terribly against Draco's pale skin. At the same moment, Snape winced and grabbed his left forearm, and Harry's hand shot up to his scar as he cringed with sudden pain.

"Headmaster?" Snape asked, he needn't state his question, Dumbledore knew what he was asking.

Dumbledore nodded, and with a pop, Snape dissaperated. No one asked where he was going; they all knew he was going to the Death Eater gathering. Once Snape was gone, Dumbledore stared down at Draco, apparently thinking hard. Harry was watching him intently, doing his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his head. Hermione couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the revolting mark on Draco's arm no matter how much she wanted to. Ron meanwhile had his arm around Hermione's waist and was gazing at her worriedly.

After a moment, Dumbledore raised his wand and shot a silvery thing in the shape of a bird out into the night. No one spoke; the Earth itself seemed unnaturally still and silent. Even the faint breeze failed to make a sound as it brushed gently passed them. All eyes were staring at Draco. Everyone stood motionless, as if they were waiting for something to happen. To Hermione it was all one horrible nightmare, she couldn't speak, she couldn't cry, she couldn't feel. There was suddenly a huge void in her heart, like a black hole that was sucking her dry of all emotion. It was a space that she felt could never be filled again.

After a while, she found that she could no longer look at him. The sight was beginning to bring a feeling of such intense and deep sadness that she couldn't even begin to describe it. But still no tears fell; it was as if she didn't even have the energy to cry. She hated him, oh how she hated him and all he had ever put her through. He had stolen her heart, taken her on an emotional roller coaster, and now he had left her with a shattered heart . . . again.

She tore her eyes away from Draco, and wrenched herself from Ron's grasp. Without a word, she turned her back on the group and walked away. Once she was a considerable distance from them, she dropped down and sat with her knees to her chest. The boys and Dumbledore watched her, expecting to hear her cry. They were terribly disturbed when they heard nothing. Harry and Ron looked at each other, their expressions were silently asking each other if they should go comfort her, or if they should leave her be.

Before they could decide, there was a loud pop and Kingsley Shacklebolt apparated next to Dumbledore. "You sent for me Albus?" he asked, looking questioningly at the three students in front of him. His back was to Draco, so he did not notice him; he did however notice Lucius' dead body lying face up in the dirt. "My God!" what happened?" he asked in shock.

"There was an initiation tonight," Dumbledore answered solemnly.

"There are new Death Eaters?" Kinsley clarified.

"Just one, he's right behind you," Dumbledore gestured to Draco's body.

Kingsley turned and gasped, "he's not . . ."

"No, just stunned," answered Dumbledore.

"But I thought we all agreed that he was safe," said Kingsley.

"We did, but you can see the Mark, and Miss Granger was witness to the initiation." Dumbledore paused, "Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater."

While Kingsley and Dumbledore spoke, Ron walked cautiously over to Hermione. Harry followed close behind, neither spoke as they sat next to her; neither knew exactly what to say. Ron began rubbing her back, but she seemed to take no notice. She was staring off into oblivion; her eyes were not even glassy. Her friends had never seen her so devoid of emotion as she was right then. To them, seeing her react like that was by far the most surprising and frightening thing they had experienced all night.

Harry leaned over and tried to catch Hermione's eye, "Hermione?" No response. "Hermione are you okay?" Still nothing. Harry and Ron glanced at each other behind Hermione's back.

"Hermione, come on, it's just us, we're here for you," whispered Ron soothingly. After a few moments where the only sounds were those of Dumbledore and Kingsley discussing something in low voices. Ron made another brave attempt at getting her to speak, "Hermione please say something."

In a motion as fast as lightning Hermione shoved herself off the ground and glared venomously at Ron, her eyes were flashing dangerously, "what the fuck do you want me to say!"

Harry and Ron were so shocked at her sudden raging outburst that they just looked blankly at her with their mouths agape.

"Come on!" she continued ranting, "tell me! What! Do you want me to say that I'm fine? That's I'll be alright? That things will be better with time?" Hermione paused to suck in a breath. "Well I'm not fine, and I don't think I'll ever be alright ever again! Now are you happy!" Hermione turned and stormed further away from them. They watched her with pained expressions as she paced back and forth, unable to calm herself. It killed them to see one of their best friends in such pain. But deep down they both knew that there was nothing they could do or say to help her, not yet at least.

Dumbledore approached Harry and Ron stoically, "come," he said softly, "it is time you three return to the school."

Harry looked from Dumbledore to Draco," what's going to happen to him?"

Hermione, even from her position apart from the group, heard the question. She looked backward, her gaze shifting between Dumbledore and Draco, awaiting the answer.

"Kingsley is taking him in tonight. There will be a trial, but from now until he is sentenced, he will remain in Azkaban."

Harry watched silently as Kinsley magically bound Draco with tight cords. Once Draco was tied up tight, Kingsley pointed his wand at him and muttered "ennervate."

Draco moaned as he woke up again. Hermione returned to where the group was, and then she, Harry, and Ron glared at Draco. Before he had even been able to gather his surroundings, he realized that he was tied up, "hey!" he shouted, thrashing about in an attempt to escape, "what the hell is going on!" he demanded as he looked around wildly. To his surprise, his eyes found no Death Eaters; instead he saw professor Dumbledore, some other adult wizard, Potter, Weasley, and Hermione. 'But why is she looking at me so angrily?' he wondered. Even before Kingsley spoke, Draco's brain began to put the pieces together. He was branded and caught; they all thought he was really a Death Eater . . . 'she thinks I'm a Death Eater," he realized dejectedly.

"Draco Malfoy," said Kingsley in a loud and stern voice, "you are under arrest for being a Death Eater. You are hereby sentenced to imprisonment in Azkaban until your trial, at which time your case will be reviewed by the Wizengamot."

The words had little meaning to Draco as he stared at Hermione. 'She just has to believe me!' he thought desperately. But his desperate stare only served to harden her cruel glare at him. He shook his head, "no!" he cried. "Hermione! It wasn't me! They put me under the imperius curse! I swear it was never me, I am not a Death Eater!"

Hermione balled her fists, and her eyes glistened with rage. Draco's desperate pleas were falling upon deaf ears, for she refused to listen to him any longer. Dumbledore put his hand gently on her shoulder to guide her away, but she brushed it away and charged towards Draco. She restrained herself from hitting him only she was repulse by the thought of touching him. "You," she said through clenched teeth. "I saw you take the oath, I was watching the whole time screaming at you not to do it. But I saw you!" She looked directly into Draco's eyes, but the hatred she felt for him blinded her to the sincerity and vulnerability that his eyes were disclosing to her. If she had not been so blinded by hate, she would have seen the swirling emotions that had been absent from his eyes for so long. Yet she continued her rant, never once breaking eye contact, not even to blink, "you are foul, dirty, loathsome, disgusting, and pathetic. You are a worthless traitor and you deserve whatever punishment you get!" She stomped back to Harry and Ron, both of whom were glaring at Malfoy with unmatched hatred. Once she returned to them, Ron pulled Hermione into a hug. She did not return the gesture, but she didn't push away either.

Draco took everything she said without a sound or even a flinch. What had he expected? Sympathy? Forgiveness? She had no reason to believe him, there was no evidence other than his word, and his word was as good as dirt at the moment. He watched as she stormed away, leaving him forever. He watched as Weasley wrapped his lanky arms around her, comforting her, Draco felt a violent stirring of jealousy in his chest at the sight, but there was nothing he could do about it. Draco hung his head and closed his eyes. It was all over.

* * *

**  
A/N: **Just so we're all clear, even though the title of this chapter is 'It's Over' this fanfic is far from over. I just wanted to clarify so no one was under the false impression that this was the end, cause it's not. :o) 

This was one of the chapters I have been looking forward to writing for a while now, so I hope everyone thinks it was successful. I know it may have been confusing to read because there was so much happening all at once, so I hope everyone was able to follow everything that happened. As always reviews are greatly appreciated, I just love the feedback from everyone!


	17. Chapter 17: Shattered

**Disclaimer: **Nope, I still do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **_Gives a large box of chocolate frogs to all the people who reviewed last chapter. _WOW! The reviews from chapter 16 were so awesome, now I can only hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint you all. _gulps_ You guys are seriously the greatest, you make writing so much fun for me, and always help me strive to do even better than I think I can. Thank you all so much!

_I wish your heart was mine_ – Thanks for the review! I would respond more, but I don't want to give anything away about what I have planned for later on in the fic. Hope you like this chapter!  
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_Chantal J, Tinka Shimmer Belle_ – Thank for the reviews!  
_Phoebe Telumetar_ – I'm happy you liked the twist and that you felt the plot moved at an appropriate speed. Thanks for the review!  
_elektra30_ – Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the excitement and drama, it was really fun to write. Now about them getting back together . . . . . . .  
_Sayaku-chan_ – omg I read you're review over like 3 times when I got it, it made me feel that good! It made me feel so good to think that I could capture emotions the same way as JKR. Wow, I don't even know how to express how awesome that made me feel. Thanks! I hope you like this chapter too!

Wow, now after reading all those reviews I'm nervous that you will be disappointed with chapter (yes I get paranoid like that sometimes). Anyway, enough of my endless rambling, on with the story!

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**Chapter 17: Shattered**

After the outburst at Draco, Hermione was once again plagued with exhaustion. Her body didn't even register Ron's arms around her. She was in a daze; she was cold, hurt, and heartbroken. Dumbledore gently called them over, and Ron led Hermione away from Draco. Dumbledore held out a portkey for them, "this will transport you back to the Entrance Hall. I must insist that you go straight to your dormitory for the night," he said to Harry and Ron. "Miss Granger, if you wish, you can spend the night in the Hospital Wing and have Madam Pomfrey give you some dreamless sleep potion." Hermione nodded once.

"I must also insist that you do not speak of this to anyone for the time being," Harry and Ron nodded. "Very well," sighed Dumbledore, "off you go."

In her zombie-like state, the journey back to Hogwarts didn't feel half as bumpy or as long as the trip to the initiation grounds had been. She somehow managed to land on upright on her feet while Harry and Ron ended up on the ground in a heap. Without a word, or a glance at the boys, she began walking through the halls, and she was not heading for the Hospital Wing.

"Hermione, aren't you going to the Hospital Wing like Dumbledore said?" asked Harry very cautiously.

"No," she stated simply.

The boys ran to catch up with her, "are you sure?" continued Harry, "the potion really does help."

"I'll be fine," said Hermione, in a quiet and mechanical sort of voice. They all knew that she was lying, but Harry and Ron didn't want to test her patience by pushing her further. She had already exploded twice that night, and it was clear that they hadn't even begun to scratch the surface of how truly angry and hurt she was. They were not keen on seeing her express that anger again, so rather than press her boundaries; they walked beside her in silence.

When they reached the Founder's portrait, they all stopped, "Hermione, why don't you come sleep in the Gryffindor dormitory again tonight? That way you won't have to be alone," suggested Ron.

The thought of people made Hermione's stomach lurch, "no," she answered without looking at either of them, "I would rather be alone."

The boys sighed in defeat, "we'll come get you in the morning, "said Harry before he and Ron reluctantly turned to leave. The kept turning back to look at her even after she had muttered the password and secluded herself inside.

Once inside, Hermione stared determinedly at the floor so as not to avert her eyes from the emerald green which decorated half of the common room. She suddenly absolutely loathed the color because it reminded her so much of him. She raced to her door as if to escape from the color and in a sudden violent rage she slammed the door so hard that the room seemed to shiver in fear.

She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, she wanted to yell out and curse the world for being so cruel, but mostly she wanted to forget it all. She shrugged her cloak off and in a daze she changed into her pajamas. It was as if her mind was part of another world. Her body was going through its usual nightly routine but her mind was not conscious of any of it.

Images of what had happened that night were flashing speedily through her mind. It was like she was watching some sort of gruesome slide show that only she could see. She crashed down furiously on her bed; her eyes were staring unseeing at the ceiling. She was emotionally drained, and utterly exhausted, but sleep did not find her. As she stared, barely blinking, her anger and rage were slowly sliding into depression. After a moment, Crookshanks hopped onto the bed next to her and curled up against her, it was as if he could sense her sadness, and was trying to comfort her. But Hermione might as well have been a stone for all the good it did. But no, she was not a stone; she was more like a glacier, a huge massive piece of ice. And like a glacier, though her sadness was visible on the surface, it was nothing compared to how deep the sadness ran beneath her, the more painful sadness that no one could see and only she could feel.

- - - -

Kingsley and Dumbledore transported Draco to the impenetrable fortress that was Azkaban prison. It was the dead of night, but even so, somehow the world seemed even darker here, and it was definitely much colder. Draco protested throughout the entire journey, he declared his innocence and insisted that he'd been under the imperius curse the entire time.

"Ha!" spat Kingsley the first time Draco used that defense, "we believed that lie far too often in the past, and we're not falling for it now!"

It was then that Draco realized that whatever trial they were going to give him was just for show. They might as well just sentence him now, either way he was considered a guilty man. Draco didn't bother protesting too much after that, it was obvious to him that his effort would all prove futile.

Dumbledore went to discuss the arrangements for Draco's cell with the dementors, though it was clear he did not approve of the creatures. Kingsley meanwhile, led Draco over to a fireplace; the flames were an insignificant source of light and warmth next to the frozen darkness enshrouding the prison. "You may contact one person, you have 10 minutes," Kingsley held the ropes binding Draco's wrists and shoved him down so that his head was next to the flames. Draco's first thought was to contact Hermione and convince her that he was innocent. But he knew that she wouldn't speak to him, not now, not ever. And even if she did, it would be impossible for him to convince her of his innocence in a mere ten minutes. Hell, he doubted he'd be able to convince her he was innocent even if he had an eternity. So when Kingsley tossed the floo powder into the flames and shoved Draco's head amongst them, Draco shouted "Malfoy Manor!"

Once the dizzying sensation was over and the feeling was replaced by a tickling sensation of the flames licking Draco's face and neck, Draco opened his eyes, and for once was almost happy to see his home. The dark, elegant, expensive, yet hard and cold furnishings would be Heaven compared to the frightening wasteland where he stood now. "Mother!" he shouted as loud as he could. But instead of his mum, a raggedly dressed house elf came scurrying into the room, "Master Draco!" she cried as she nearly tripped over herself to bow to Draco's head. "What is you doing here sir?"

"Never mind that! Go fetch Narcissa as fast as you can!" ordered Draco. He was only too conscious of the precious seconds slipping away forever.

"Yes sir!" the house elf squeaked as she rushed off to carry out her order.

To Draco it seemed like an eternity before the elf returned with Narcissa practically jogging at her side, "Draco! What's going on?"

"Mum, just let me talk, I don't have much time left," pleaded Draco.

Narcissa instantly silenced herself, her face going paler than it already was. Draco never spoke in the panicked tone he was using now. She didn't want to imagine what could possibly be so wrong that would cause such frightening behavior in her son.

Draco spoke in a hurried and uncharacteristically frightened voice, "Mum they tricked me! They put me under the imperius curse and they forced me to bring Hermione to their meeting. Then they Marked me," there was a near sob in Draco's voice now, "THEY PUT THE DAMN DARK MARK ON ME! I was under the curse, and I wasn't strong enough to break it! And then he tortured Hermione, that fucking bastard tortured her! That was when I snapped out of the curse, and I killed him. I killed Lucius. Then Dumbledore and some others came and the Death Eaters fled. But they caught me, they won't believe me. Mum I'm innocent! Tell them I'm innocent!"

It was one of the few times, possibly the only time, in his 18 year long life that Draco broke down and lost control of himself. Narcissa made no effort to stop him while he was talking, but her face grew steadily whiter with each word that he spoke. She felt tears well up inside her, but she allowed none to fall. She had to be strong, for Draco. He was scared and he needed her, "where are you now?" she asked, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.

"They took me to Azkaban! They won't even give me a chance, they've already decided that I'm guilty, I can see it in their eyes!" shouted Draco desperately.

Narcissa gasped, how could they take her innocent son to that dreadful place! She opened her mouth to speak words of comfort to him, but before any escaped her lips, Draco's head turned. He could feel iciness engulf the majority of his body that he had left behind; he felt pressure on the cords around his wrists, pulling him out of the fireplace. "NO!" he cried desperately, "Mum they're coming for me! Don't let them take me in there! I'm innocent! I swear I'm innocent!"

Draco struggled and screamed, but Narcissa could do nothing as her son's head disappeared from the flames before her. For several long moments after Draco had gone, she stared into the flames; they crackled and danced in front of her. It felt as if they were mocking her lonely sadness with their cheerful warmth. Finally, long after Draco had gone, a solitary tear crept down her porcelain cheek.

- - - -

Draco struggled against his bonds and against the boney gray-skinned hands that clasped themselves around Draco's arms. But the dementors at either side of him thrived in his energy. They sucked in a particularly deep and rattling breath, successfully subduing him with an intense wave of cold horror. Draco's mind began replaying the night's events. At first he could only hear them, but the sound of Hermione's desperate shouts, then her screams of pain coupled with the cruel laughter of the Death Eaters brought an increased feeling of desperate despair to his soul.

The dementors brought him to a room in which three wizards stood. Dumbledore, Kingsley, and a new wizard whom Draco supposed must be a member of the Committee of Magical Law Enforcement. Whoever he was, he was the man who approached Draco. First he moved behind Draco and removed the cords from his wrists, and then while Draco was stretching his fingers and increasing the blood flow to them, the man reached into Draco's pocket and removed his wand.

Draco stared in horror as the man walked away. He knew what was coming, but he couldn't accept it. In some part of his mind, Draco felt that as long as he had his wand, he had a bit of hope, but if his wand was destroyed, his hope would be destroyed along with it. The man turned around once he reached Dumbledore and Kingsley. Now all three wizards were facing Draco, each looking at him with a hard and unrelenting gaze. Dumbledore was the one who spoke, "your trial is scheduled to begin in one week, until then you shall remain in a high security cell here." Draco stared at Dumbledore in wide-eyed disbelief, but he didn't bother wasting his energy protesting any longer. Dumbledore continued, "of course you will understand that no prisoner may retain their wand whilst in Azkaban, therefore your wand will now be destroyed."

"No!" Draco shouted as he instinctively lunged for his wand, but Kingsley had been expecting this, and Draco's progress was stopped with an impediment charm. Draco watched helplessly from behind his invisible blockade as the man held Draco's wand out in front of him. In one quick and swift motion, the man thrust the wand down against his leg so that the wand snapped in half. Draco winced and felt like a large part of what was left of him had just been killed right in front of his eyes. His wand, his beautiful 10" Ash wand with a dragon heartstring core was now nothing more than two splintery twigs. Black sparks emitted from the exposed core, at first they were strong, but within mere seconds they faded into nothing. Draco's soul wrenched, it seemed impossible that in just a few short hours he had lost the two of the most important parts of his life, his wand, and even worse, Hermione. He hung his head, and closed his eyes. Was the wizard speaking to him again? He didn't know, and he didn't care. They would throw him in Azkaban until it was time for his trial, then they would lead him away, and then when it was all said and done they'd toss him back in here, most likely forever he thought.

The Law Enforcement wizard was reciting some official spiel that the ministry required be told to every prisoner, but Draco heard none of it. He made no fuss when the dementors glided close to him again; they were leading him to his cell, his new home. Draco shuffled through the halls, the screams of the other prisoners meshed with the screams in his head until he could not decipher which screams were real and which were from his memories. It was a sickening feeling.

- - - -

It was well passed midnight, and Hermione was still tossing and turning, unable to find sleep. Now she was staring at the ceiling and seriously wishing that she had followed Dumbledore, Harry and Ron's advice and just taken the dreamless sleep potion. It seemed that every time she was on the verge of finally falling to sleep an image of his face would somehow intrude on her conscience and chase all hopes of sleep away. It was a horrible cycle of exhaustion, rage and depression.

The image of Draco had just once again stolen her sleep from her and she couldn't take it anymore. She turned onto her side, and was greeted by a framed picture of her and Draco on her nightstand. She clenched her teeth and glared at the picture, the happy images of her and Draco smiling back at her, her picture self being held lovingly in Draco's arms, mocking her. She flung herself off her bed, grabbed the picture and stormed out of her room. Hermione had never considered herself a violent person, but at the moment she would have loved nothing more than to tear Draco's head off. She wanted him to be experiencing the same pain she was; she wanted him to know how badly he had hurt her. But since Draco was not available to experience her wrath, she would take it out on his stuff instead.

She entered the room, and in the glow of the dying fire caused harsh shadows to fight each other across the room. Hermione barred her teeth and in one violent motion she hurled the picture across the room. The frame burst apart and the glass shattered when it came in contact with the wall. Hermione took pleasure in the sound, but that was just the beginning, she wanted to shatter all of Draco's things just like he had shattered her heart.

She threw the lid to Draco's trunk open and scowled at its contents. She began tearing through it, throwing his stuff everywhere, with no concern as to where it went or if it broke. She didn't stop until she had just about reached the bottom to the trunk, that was when she saw it; Draco's journal. She instantly seized it, thinking that it might be able to tell her something important, like how long this had all been going on. But there was nothing, not a single entry from this year. Hermione slammed the book shut and violently threw it at the wall across the room. It hit the wall above Draco's nightstand and caused the wyvern model, which had been watching the progress of Hermione's destruction, to take flight and zoom out of the room.

Hermione felt a mixture of sadness and vengeful joy as she surveyed the damage she had caused. Her actions had given her temporary relief, but now that she was finished, she felt just as empty as she had before, and she was no closer to finding sleep. For a while she sat amidst the mess, absentmindedly fingering the necklace around her neck. It was a habit she developed to calm her when she was worried, nervous or sad. The necklace reminded her of Draco, and that used to be a comforting thought. But once she realized what she was doing, rage consumed her yet again. She hastily tore the necklace off, and threw it into Draco's trunk, as she spun around and stormed out.

Once she was back in her room, she took a step towards her bed, but tripped on something that was sitting on the ground. She didn't know what it was, but she didn't care, she gave it a good swift kick and listened with satisfaction as it slid across the floor and hit the wall with a dull thud.

- - - -

Whether Hermione actually found sleep that night, or if she was just too exhausted to realize that she was awake, she didn't know. Either way, she found herself definitely awake at the sound of a slight rapping on the portrait frame. She scrunched up her face and groaned. She loved Harry and Ron to death, but at the moment she wished they would just leave her alone. She remained lying down hoping that they would get the hint, but the tapping did not stop, so with a great deal of effort, she pushed herself off the bed and walked to the portrait. She started speaking before the door was completely open "look guys, I know you . . ." But the person at the door was not Harry or Ron, it was professor Dumbledore, "Professor!" she cried, suddenly jerking wide awake.

"Miss Granger," he smiled gently, a sorrowful twinkle in his eye. "I wonder if perhaps I may have a moment to speak with you?"

"Of course professor," Hermione hastily backed away to give Dumbledore room to enter.

Hermione seated herself on the couch as Dumbledore settled down in one of the squashy armchairs. "I must admit I was rather surprised that I did not find you in the hospital wing."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but could not think of anything to say, so she closed her mouth and directed her bloodshot eyes downward.

"I know that this is difficult, but there are some matters we need to discuss."

Hermione closed her eyes and sighed wearily, but nodded nonetheless.

"First, about Mr. Malfoy's trial, it is scheduled to begin next Monday, and I know it will be painful but you will be required to testify since you are the sole witness. You will only be present during your testimony, after that you will be returned to school."

Hermione's face hardened, a large part of her still did not want to incriminate Draco, but her mind was made up and she nodded at Dumbledore.

"Secondly, the matter of Head Boy; with Mr. Malfoy gone, I need to appoint a different student to take his place. Since Mr. Potter was my second choice, with your approval I will offer the position to him."

Hermione smiled, albeit it was a very small smile, but a smile nonetheless, "yes professor, I think Harry is the perfect choice."

"Excellent, now I must be off to tell him, and to prepare my address to the school. Miss Granger, you may have your meal delivered here if you do not wish to join the rest of us in the Great Hall."

Hermione looked very relieved, "thank you professor."

"And one last thing, I must insist that you take the dreamless sleep potion tonight, you will feel much better after a full nights' sleep."

Hermione frowned and looked at the floor again, her eyelids suddenly felt as if they were the heaviest things in the world, and Hermione was having a great deal of trouble keeping them open.

Professor Dumbledore was halfway to the door when there was another knock on the portrait frame. Dumbledore opened it and met the surprised looks of Harry and Ron.

"Oh, sorry professor," said Harry awkwardly, "we didn't mean to interrupt."

"On the contrary Mr. Potter, I was just going to look for you. It seems we are in need of a new Head Boy, and I would like to offer you the position."

Harry stuttered, "Really? Err thank you professor!"

"You're quite welcome; I will have your badge for you at breakfast when I announce it to the rest of the school." Dumbledore swept out of the room, leaving Harry and Ron standing in the doorway. Harry was beaming, and Ron was torn between happiness for Harry and concern for Hermione.

Both boys looked at her, but she had taken to lying on the couch with her eyes closed. "Hermione?" whispered Ron. Hermione opened her eyes and looked at them, they gasped when they say her bloodshot eyes with the dark circles underneath them. "Hermione! Did you get any sleep last night?" Ron gasped instinctively kneeling down and grabbing her hand.

"No" she answered honestly, "look guys, thanks for looking out for me, but I'd really rather be alone right now."

Both boys looked as if it went against their better judgment to leave, but they respected Hermione's wishes and silently walked out of the room.

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes, the weariness overcame her, and finally she slipped into an uneasy sleep.

- - - -

The entire school went silent when Dumbledore stood up in the middle of breakfast. He cleared his throat, and spoke solemnly. "If I could have everyone's attention for a moment, I have a very important announcement to make." The entire school listened to him with rapt attention. Not even one face turned towards the sounds of someone quietly sobbing on one side of the room. "As you may have noticed, two members of our student body are not with us at the moment." Dumbledore nodded towards the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables. Several heads turned, and noticed three things. First they discovered that the source of the sobs was Pansy Parkinson, second they found that the platinum blonde Head Boy was nowhere to be found, and neither was the Head Girl sitting at her place at the Gryffindor table.

"It is my responsibility as Headmaster to inform you that Mr. Malfoy is unlikely to be returning to us this year." The students looked at each other with curiosity. "This is because, I am sorry to say, last night, Mr. Malfoy was apprehended amidst a group of Death Eaters; he is currently in Azkaban awaiting trial." Nearly the entire Hall gasped with shock, Pansy's sobs grew louder, but the rest of the Slytherins remained determinedly silent their faces set with cold expressionless looks. "You will also notice that our Head Girl, Miss Granger is not with us today either. She was present at the gathering of Death Eaters at which Mr. Malfoy was arrested. She is perfectly fine and will be returning to classes tomorrow, however, I must ask that no one question her as to what happened. She has suffered a great amount of stress through this entire ordeal and I do not want her to have people pestering about it here at Hogwarts." The students were now staring at Dumbledore with shock on every single one of their faces.

Dumbledore took a long breath before continuing, "This leads me to my next announcement, as you all know, Mr. Malfoy was our Head Boy, and now that he is gone it is my duty to appoint a new student to the position. So, Mr. Potter shall take his place and finish the year out as our Head Boy." Few people got over the shock of the previous announcement in time for this second announcement to sink in. So there was no clapping, in fact, there was no movement for a long time after Dumbledore had taken his seat. Slowly, once people realized that the Headmaster was finished speaking, small groups of people trickled out of the Hall, some whispering, but most remained silent. No one knew quite what to think. There had been a Death Eater within Hogwarts, to most that fact brought the reality of the war going on in the outside world eerily close to home.

- - - -

Draco no longer had any sense of time. In fact, the only thing that confirmed the fact that time was passing by at all were the meals the dementors delivered to him in his cell three times a day. But Draco rarely ate them, and when he did, it was only to nibble absentmindedly on a piece of cheese or a slice of bread. He could no longer feel hunger. He could no longer feel anything other than the frozen emptiness of depression that surrounded his heart and soul.

_"Hermione," breathed Draco firmly, "get out now!" he saw her face filled with fear, and he flashed his eyes angrily to get her to leave, he was not going to let her get hurt because of him._

_But his father had different plans, "No Draco, your mudblood whore thinks she is going to save you. She has the mistaken impression that love will triumph over all, as if her life is some bloody fairy tale."_

_"She's not a whore!" Draco shouted, finally finding the strength to stand up now that he had Hermione to protect as well as himself._

_"Well, now she shall learn that power is what really triumphs in this world," drawled Lucius, as he aimed his wand at Hermione, "crucio!" _

_Abandoning all reason, Draco lunged at Hermione to free her from Lucius' torture. Lucius then turned his wand on Draco and shouted "Crucio!" Draco felt himself writhing in pain, and he heard Lucius speak to him in a cruel threatening tone, "That was very, very stupid Draco, now rather than just torturing your little mudblood, she is going to die. And it will not be quick and easy; it will be a very painful death. You'll be happy to know, my little frozen death spell is now powerful enough to do what it was meant to do." _

_Lucius only lifted the curse when Draco was no longer able to speak, move, or barely even breathe. "Allow me to demonstrate," smiled Lucius madly._

_Draco's head shot up and he glared at Lucius. But Lucius did not see him, he was staring madly at Hermione his wand ready for death. When Draco saw Lucius' open his mouth, he mustered up all his strength and shoved Hermione out of the way just as Lucius shouted "GLACIO EXANIMUS!" _

The cold he felt in his memory melded with the cold he now felt every second of every day in prison. The memory of that horrible night faded as Draco heard his door creak open. He forced himself to open his eyes, expecting to see a dementor gliding in with his breakfast, but instead he saw a man step in. With an instant feeling of resentment, Draco recognized him as the same man who had snapped his wand in half when he first arrived. "Come," the man said before turning around and leading the way through the corridor. He offered no other explanation, but Draco didn't ask for one either. He pushed himself up to a standing position, feeling incredibly sore from sitting down for an entire week. Draco maintained his gaze straight ahead at the man's back, preferring not to look at the other prisoners in the suffering in their cells. Draco could feel a dementor gliding behind him, making sure he didn't attempt to run, as if there was anywhere to run to.

They finally exited the cell corridor and entered a small room. Draco instantly felt unbelievably warmer and he noticed that his robes, which had been exchanged for the prisoner's robes he was now wearing, were hanging over the only chair in the room. "You will have half an hour to prepare for your trial," the man instructed. "The bathroom is through that door, and there will be a dementor guarding the exit, so don't try to leave." The man stepped outside, "your half an hour begins now," the man closed the door forcefully, leaving Draco all alone. It was the first time he had been able to think since he arrived, but he found that his thoughts were no better than the memories played over and over in his head.

As he showered, he wondered if they would even listen to his defense, or if they would all dismiss it as a lie as Kingsley had. Draco knew it would be the latter, especially after they heard the prosecutions story. As Draco washed himself, the prospect of the trial looked bleaker and bleaker. 'I might as well just go back to my cell and lock myself inside forever,' he thought to himself.

He had no chance. It would basically come down to his word against Hermione's, since she was the only witness. He was the son of a Death Eater, and a member of a notoriously Dark wizarding family, plus he had murdered his father. While she was a muggle-born, a model student, not to mention one of saintly Potter's best friends. There was no contest, everyone would believe her story and immediately discredit him. Draco raised his arms to lather the suds in his hair, and that was when he caught glimpse of it, the Dark Mark. "No one will believe me with this fucking atrocity on my arm!" he shouted aloud. He violently scratched at it until his skin burned and completely raw. He could even see little droplets of blood beginning to form. But the Mark was still there, and he would never be able to remove it.

He got out of the shower, a new wave of despair flowing over him. He half-heartedly changed into his robes and towel dried his hair. While the expensive fabrics felt wonderful against his skin, he found that he didn't care; he knew it would only be a temporary feeling. By the end of the trial he would be eternally rotting away in this god forsaken place.

Draco was sitting lazily in the chair, doing his best not to brood over the miserable trial he was about to attend, when the door opened and the man entered to usher him out. Draco felt a rush of cold as he exited the room and found that this time he was being followed by two dementors instead of one, 'my escorts to the trial' he drawled to himself. The man led Draco and the dementors to a room in which there was a large fireplace, large enough for at least five fully grown men.

The man stepped inside, Draco and the dementors followed suit. "Ministry of Magic!" he bellowed as he threw down a large handful of floo powder. Draco instantly felt himself spiraling, through the air; he was fast feeling sick due to his lack of food, so he was relieved when he finally crash landed in one of the ministry fireplaces. He knew that he should be feeling nervous or anxious but instead he just felt boredom. He had already resigned himself to a lifetime in Azkaban, so to him this trial was just the Ministry's way of prolonging the inevitable.

Well, they were already planning on imprisoning him, so Draco was not about to look weak in front of them. As he made his way down to the deepest dungeons of the Ministry, he regained his old swagger. He was determined to put on every show of confidence because he wasn't going to be remembered as a weak man. He entered the huge cavernous room, the full Wizengamot was sitting up in the balcony, and every pair of eyes was following him. There was a stiff chair in the center of the room. The dementors led him to it and he sat down. Instantly chains wrapped around his arms and legs rendering him completely unable to move. He looked up at the Head of the Committee of Magical Law Enforcement a look of boredom on his face, awaiting the trial to begin.

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I know not much happened plot wise in this chapter, but I felt after having such a dramatic turn last chapter it would be wise to move a bit slower for a chapter or two. I hope you all agree with my decision, if not then I'm sorry. But anyway, I would love to hear what you all though, so please send me a review! Thanks so much. 


	18. Chapter 18: The Trial

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, yeah, you all know by now, I'm not JK Rowling.

**A/N: **OMG you guys are the best! I never dreamed I would get the sort of support you all are giving me for this fic. It is truly inspiring to me. Thank you so much!

_purple pixie, __Chantal J, __Ginny-W13, jesska-14, Sunflower18, zuvalupa _– Thanks for the reviews! I hope the update came fast enough for all of you!  
_Terratasha_ – Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Will Draco be ok . . . . ummm next question. Will they get married . . . again ummmmm. lol I would love to answer your questions, but I would never want to ruin the story for you. So I hope you like what I have planned for them!  
_Fire Angel _– lol Don't worry, I would never tell you what happens, I know the wait is part of what makes it exciting. Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter too!  
_Cardmajic _– thanks, I'm glad you like both the fics. Thanks for pointing out the errors (I guess I need to work on my editing skills lol) I totally forgot about the Ravenclaw quidditch match thing . . . . oops. I hope the errors don't detract from the story too much, but I will definitely be sure to add them to the long list of things I need to fix in case I repost the fic after I'm done. Anyway, thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_Sayaku-chan _– lol you're right, I won't answer your questions about the fic, however you are doing a wonderful job not giving stuff away in your reviews just in case people read them who haven't read the fic. That's very thoughtful of you. :o) Thanks for the review!  
_anIme-prYncess _– Thanks for the review! I hope the update came quick enough! And you'll find out what Hermione kicked in this chapter.  
_CB_ – I would answer your questions, but you'll find out soon enough, so I won't spoil it for you now. Thank you very much, I'm happy to hear that you find it captivating, hopefully it stays that way. Hope you like this chapter!  
_I wish your heart was mine _– I'm sorry, but I can't answer your question here (I promise it will be answered by the end of the fic though. I'm so happy that you liked it so much, and I hope the update came fast enough!  
_Karma Chameleon _– YAY! Thank you so much, it's so awesome to hear that people have noticed improvement in my writing. It makes me happy. I am considering writing a book; I just have to think of an original idea first . . . . . But in the meantime, I will continue this fic, so I hope you continue to like it!  
_PITBULL55_ – I will definitely try to keep that in mind, (of course the ending has been planned for quite a while now, so whatever happens happens . . . . ) Anyway, thanks for the review!

So now onto the much anticipated trial . . . .dun dun dunnnnnn. Hope you all like it!

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**Chapter 18: The Trial**

Hermione woke after only an hour of uneasy, restless sleep on the couch. The cushions felt damp, and when she touched her cheek she could feel the trails of tears that had fallen in her sleep. As if acting on their own will, her feet carried her back to Draco's room. She walked over all of his thrown around belongings to the corner where she had thrown the picture. The broken glass has sliced holes through the photo, and its occupants were now unable to reach each other through the tears. They were struggling to be together, but to no avail, for they had been torn apart forever. She lifted the picture from the floor, "It's over" she said to both the picture and herself, "just let go."

But the truth was that she didn't want it to be over, as horrible as that was, she didn't want to believe that any of it was true. She wanted to wake up with Draco holding her in his strong, unmarked arms and tell her it was all just a nightmare. She wanted to hear him say that everything was fine and that he would never hurt her.

She looked down at the picture again and could feel the tears welling up inside. 'No!' she ordered herself, 'you cannot cry, you cannot allow him to continue hurting you like this. It's over, just move on and forget all about that bastard Draco Malfoy!' But she couldn't forget, Draco had been her first true love and she could never forget him.

She shook her head and quickly exited Draco's room, running to the safety of her own scarlet colored room. She looked to Crookshanks' bed because she needed a friend, but he was not there. "Crookshanks?" A definitive meow came from the other side of her bed. Hermione slid across it so that she was laying on her stomach and gazed fondly at Crookshanks, "what are you doing?"

Crookshanks, who had been sniffing at a book, lifted his head. Hermione cocked her head curiously and picked up the book, which considering its half-hazard position against the wall she figured that it must have been what she tripped over the night before. She leaned down to pick it up, got one glance at the cover and felt the anger return full force. It was the book Draco had given her for Christmas. She threw it open and made to tear the pages out, she had a few crinkled between her fingers before she stopped. She just couldn't bring herself to destroy a book, no matter how much it reminded her of him. Nor could she bring herself to throw it out. Books were sacred after all; they were not something to be trashed and torn. But still, she couldn't stand the sight of it, so she banished it to the topmost shelf of her bookcase. She then threw herself back on her bed, closed her eyes, and drifted into a state between sleep and wake.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Draco Malfoy!" the wizard in charge of the trial bellowed harshly, "You are hereby brought in front of this court on trial for having engaged in Dark magical activities by becoming a Death Eater. You were caught being initiated into the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's circle of followers. If you are found guilty you stand to receive a penalty of a minimum of a lifetime in Azkaban. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty," said Draco confidently through clenched teeth.

The wizard sneered, "very well. This is your chance to defend yourself, what do you have to say?" He spoke in an accusatory manner, clearly not planning on believing whatever defense Draco was prepared to give.

Draco stared directly into the lead wizards' eyes; his glare was just as harsh as the glares he was receiving. "I was put under the imperius curse by the Dark Lord; I did not willingly join his Death Eaters. I promised myself a long time ago I would never engage in that lifestyle."

"A likely story!" interrupted the lead wizard, "you were born to serve the Dark Lord, just like your late father! Why is it that you would suddenly decide to oppose everything you were grown up to believe?"

"I am my own man, I am not bound to follow in my fathers footsteps anymore than you or anyone else is! I made the decision for myself that I wanted to live my life my way, and that did not include making myself a servant of the Dark Lord!" Draco transferred his glare from the lead wizard to Dumbledore when he spoke. If anyone in the room were to believe that one's family did not determine their fate, it was the Hogwarts Headmaster. But Dumbledore's gaze was relentless, and he frowned when he met Draco's eyes. Draco's insides dropped, Dumbledore didn't believe him, where was the hope if the one who always believed in everyone didn't believe in him?

"You claim to have not wanted to live a life of darkness, yet you yourself are a murderer."

"I only murdered him because he was torturing Hermione!" argued Draco with fury burning in his cold gray eyes.

"Whom you lured to the meeting in the first place!" challenged the lead wizard with enough anger in his own voice to rival Draco's.

"I told you I was under the imperius curse! I couldn't control myself!"

"SILENCE!" roared the lead wizard.

Draco stubbornly obeyed, and once the echo of the wizards' voice died, the chamber was filled with a loud and heavy silence. Draco glowered at the entire Wizengamot up in the balcony. Deep down he knew that he must keep his temper in check, but at the same time he also knew that no matter what, he was going back to Azkaban, and there was no way he was going down without a fight.

The lead wizard laced his fingers together, creating a false image of calmness. When he spoke, his tone was just as harsh as ever. "You sir, are clearly lying. You claim to have been under the curse when you brought Miss Granger to the meeting, yet you made the decision to murder your father. That is completely ludicrous," Draco opened his mouth to object, "SILENCE I SAID!"

Draco barred his teeth at the lead wizard. 'What's the point of giving me a trial if you won't let me defend myself, you bastard.'

The wizard continued, "Yes or no, did you bring Hermione Granger to the Death Eater gathering?"

"Yes but . . ."

"And do you, or do you not have the Dark Mark burned onto your arm, thereby identifying you as a Death Eater?" the wizard interrupted.

"I do but . . ."

"And did you or did you not murder your father, Lucius Malfoy!"

"I did." Draco didn't bother attempting to explain why. The one aspect of this whole fiasco that Draco did not regret was that he killed Lucius.

"There was a slight murmuring among the witches and wizards of the Wizengamot in response to Draco's answers. The lead wizard allowed the whispers to persist for a moment, but quickly took charge again. "Very well, we shall review your testimony, and then we will reconvene Wednesday morning to hear the witness, Miss Hermione Grangers' testimony. Until then, you are to return to Azkaban.

Draco could feel the temperature drop in his veins as the dementors hovered closer. The chains suddenly released him, and were replaced by the boney lifeless hands of the dementors. "I'M INNOCENT!" he shouted, trying to fend off the horrible memories which were attempting to consume him yet again. "It wasn't me!" he said weakly. "It wasn't . . ." his head went limp and the painful memories filled his soul. He was no longer aware of where he was going or of what he was doing. He didn't even feel the tug in his navel as the portkey transported him and the dementors back to the prison.

The dementors dropped him unceremoniously in a lifeless heap on the floor. Draco pulled himself up onto his uncomfortable bed, trying to block out the memory of when he first received the glacio exanimus curse from Lucius. He shut his eyes, and drifted to sleep. It was a sleep plagued with nightmares of his past, just like every sleep had been since he'd arrived.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The week following Draco's initiation had passed so slowly for Hermione that time might as well have been moving backwards. In fact, she most likely would have been happier if it was. It was now Monday, Draco's trial had be starting today, and Hermione would be testifying in only two days. All in all she was rather surprised that she wasn't more apprehensive about it.

Hermione was sitting in one of the armchairs in the common room. The room was now completely decorated in scarlet and gold since Harry was the new Head Boy. And Harry's room was now pretty much identical to Hermione's except that the marble bathroom was still black instead of white. Hermione found that the change of décor really helped her let go and move on, at least on the surface it seemed to make a difference.

She had her Defense Against the Dark Arts book out in front of her, she was brushing up on her counter curses for an exam they had the next day. Harry and Ron should be ending their quidditch practice at any minute, and Ginny was most likely somewhere with her Ravenclaw boyfriend. She heard a noise at the door, and she perked up to listen.

"Come on! I gave you the password now let me in!" ordered an angry Harry. His voice was muffled from being behind the wall.

Hermione sighed, 'Salazar must be alone in the portrait again' she thought. Salazar had been in a very bad temper ever since Draco had been kicked out, so the other members of the portrait would often leave him alone while they went to visit other portraits. This made it rather difficult for Harry and Hermione to enter their common room because Salazar didn't like either of them, so he would often flat out refuse to open the portrait door whether they said the password or not, just as he was doing now. Hermione tossed her book onto the table and got up to let Harry in. "Hey Harry," she greeted as she eased the portrait open.

"Thanks," he smiled as he stepped inside, throwing an angry scowl at Salazar as he did so.

"You worthless sacks of filth!" shouted Salazar. "You do not deserve the honor of being Heads! If I were not stuck in this portrait you're worthless hides wouldn't even have been admitted into this school!" Harry slammed the portrait closed to block out Salazar's rant. It was really starting to infuriate him, he wished the other founders would just kick Salazar out; it would make everything so much easier.

"How was quidditch practice?" asked Hermione as she returned to her studying.

"Excellent, we're really doing well; Slytherin doesn't have a chance against us! Especially since . . . " Harry suddenly went silent and kicked himself for not stopping his mouth sooner. He had been about to say 'since Malfoy's gone.' But once he remembered who he was talking to he stopped.

But he hadn't stopped soon enough; Hermione, with her quick mind was able to get the gist of what he had been about to say. She chose not to comment, and instead silently buried herself in her book.

- - - - - - - - - -

Once Wednesday morning rolled around, Ron and Harry were watching Hermione stare off blankly into space. She didn't look sad, just preoccupied and a little sick to her stomach. "You ready for today?" Ron asked, nudging Hermione a bit to get her attention.

Hermione eased out of her reverie and looked at Ron. "Yeah, yeah I'm ready" she assured everyone (including herself). "I mean there's not much to prepare for is there? I just go there, tell them what happened, then I leave."

The boys smiled, both were impressed with the way she was handling things. Ron especially had been worried that Hermione would slip into another moping, depressed state like she had the year before. But much to his relief, she seemed to have put Malfoy behind her and gotten herself back to the old Hermione that he loved.

After breakfast Hermione didn't follow Harry and Ron to class, instead she walked up to the professors table where Dumbledore was waiting. Her stomach grew slightly queasier with every step. By the time she reached Dumbledore, she felt like she could really throw up at any second.

"Are you ready?" inquired Dumbledore softly.

Hermione nodded, her face was set with determination.

Professor Dumbledore nodded once, "follow me." Hermione followed the Headmaster's long sweeping strides to the outside entrance of the castle. Dumbledore reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked to be a page from the Daily Prophet. He held it out for Hermione to hold. The instant her fingers brushed the surface, the two of them were sent zooming through the air until they came to an abrupt stop in the Ministry of Magic lobby.

It was rather busy, what with all the Ministry witches and wizards tending to their business. Dumbledore nodded to the security wizard at the desk, and then motioned to Hermione to follow him. She silently obeyed, feeling her stomach churn. But her thoughts were not on the trial, now her thoughts had taken a different turn. As soon as she saw the lobby, images of her fifth year entered her mind. That horrible night when Harry had led them all to the Department of Mysteries and they had to fight for their lives against the gang of Death Eaters who had been waiting for them.

Those horrid Death Eaters. With a visible shudder Hermione remembered how the Death Eaters had surrounded her and the others once Harry had picked up the prophesy. Lucius had been taunting Harry, trying to get the prophesy from him. But in her mind, what in reality had been a masked Lucius, morphed into Draco. Now he was the one holding out his hand and wickedly taunting Harry and the rest of them. In her mind, Hermione could clearly see the Dark Mark on his outstretched arm. She wanted to hurt him, she was so furious she couldn't stand it, she . . .

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore interrupted her horrible thoughts softly.

Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and realized that tiny beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. She breathed deep and wiped the sweat away, following Dumbledore down a long corridor in the basement of the Ministry. He led her to a door, beside which a raven haired, professional looking witch, who looked vaguely familiar, was standing. The witch glanced up at the sound of approaching footsteps, "Dumbledore, Hermione! It's so nice to see you again!" The witch stumbled as she stepped forward to greet them.

"Tonks?" asked Hermione, her eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"Yup, it's me," Tonks answered cheerily, "I figured that since this is a trial, I would go for a more traditional look. Doesn't really suit me does it?"

"You're here for the trial?"

"Yes Miss Granger," answered Dumbledore, "I will have to be present with the rest of the Wizengamot once the trial begins. Tonks shall stay with you until you are called in, and then she will see you safely back to Hogwarts."

"Ok, ok."

"Thank you again Tonks."

"It's my pleasure Dumbledore."

"Now I must be going so we can begin." Dumbledore nodded to the two women, and then turned to sweep back down the corridor.

Hermione could feel Tonks watching her, but she kept her eyes down. "Are you nervous?" Tonks asked gently.

"No . . . well yes, no . . . a little," Hermione decided.

"I understand. Just know that he can't hurt you, not matter what you say, and all you need to do is go in there and tell them the truth."

Hermione nodded, "that's why I'm nervous."

"What? Why?" asked Tonks, attempting to catch Hermione's eye so she could understand.

Hermione wiped away a stray tear, "I still don't want it to be true, I don't want to be the reason he gets sent back to Azkaban." It was the first time she had confessed that thought to anyone, and even though she still hadn't looked Tonks in the eye, it did feel better to have verbalized her apprehension.

"Hermione," comforted Tonks as she placed her arm around Hermione's shoulder, "_he_ is the reason that he will be sent to Azkaban, you are just telling what you saw. You are a good person, and I know that you don't want to hurt anyone. But he's dangerous Hermione, he's a Death Eater, and he deserves it."

Hermione gulped and nodded with a pained smile on her lips. But inside the unshed tears were flowing, 'but that doesn't change the fact that I still love him,' she thought with a slight hiccup. In an attempt to regain her composure, she breathed deep and forced herself to look up. 'Come on Hermione, don't loose it,' she coached herself. 'Tonks is right, he deserves this, and no matter what you want, you can't change what he is, so just get over it. You're too good for him anyway.' Hermione really didn't believe what she was telling herself, but perhaps if she thought it hard enough, she might eventually be able to trick herself into believing that it was true.

She and Tonks stood there waiting and chatting for a good half hour. Hermione was relieved that she didn't have to wait alone, because talking about trivial things with Tonks helped relax her considerably.

When a gruff looking Ministry official finally opened the door to the chamber, Tonks gripped Hermione's shoulder reassuringly, "it will be fine, I'll be waiting for you right here when you're done."

Hermione's nerves were pumping through her so hard that she could feel it all the way down to her fingertips and toes. Nevertheless, she retained a calm exterior as she followed the Ministry official inside. The chamber was dimly lit and it took Hermione's eyes a moment to adjust. Once she could see properly, she took a glance around at her surroundings. Up in the balcony was the full Wizengamot. Hermione instantly spotted Dumbledore near the center of the group, his long silver hair stood out brilliantly against the sea of black robes. She was glad to see that he was gazing at her reassuringly because she was a little put off by the tough looking wizard standing next to him. 'That must be the head of the Committee of Magical Law Enforcement' she noted to herself.

The Ministry official was leading Hermione towards a straight backed chair in the center of the room. A chair in which sat a man with silvery blonde hair that was just visible over the top of the back. Hermione hesitated, she stared wide-eyed at the back of the occupant in the chair and found her legs unable to move forward another step. She had known all along that Draco was going to be there, but somehow actually seeing him sitting there was very different than knowing he was going to be there.

It wasn't until someone up in the balcony cleared his throat that Hermione managed to make her feet continue their progression forward. She looked up and found the wizard in charge glaring at her unsympathetically. She gulped as she walked up to a spot that was to the side and slightly in front of where Draco was seated. She forced her eyes to remain facing forward, not even allowing herself one glance towards the man she loved for fear that if she did she would lose all self control and completely break down. With her face hardened and set with determination, Hermione looked up at the Wizengamot awaiting instructions. Every eye in the chamber was settled on her, but the only ones she could feel were Draco's burning into the back of her head. But rather than weaken her, the feeling only made her stronger and more determined.

"Miss Hermione Granger," bellowed the head wizard "you are here as a witness in the case against Draco Malfoy is that correct?"

"Yes sir," Hermione's voice was strong, which helped to reduce her fear.

"Then in your own words, please describe what happened."

Hermione took a deep breath, "Well, first he dragged me to a portkey over by the greenhouses at Hogwarts. That brought us to the meeting." Hermione proceeded to tell them about the meeting, how Draco obeyed everything they told him to do, and how they planned to torture than kill her once he was initiated. "And then Lucius" Hermione found her throat temporarily blocked when she got to the part about Lucius torturing her. He took a breath to ease it out, and locked eyes with Dumbledore's encouraging gaze. "And then Lucius cast the cruciatus curse on me. I honestly don't know what happened after that because I think I got knocked out. But when I woke up Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Snape were there, the Death Eaters were gone, Lucius was dead, and Draco was unconscious."

"I see," said the lead wizard, "and do you have any reason to suspect that Mr. Malfoy was not acting upon his own free will.

Hermione paused to think about the question.

"Hermione!" shouted Draco, finally unable to hold his silence any longer. "You know it wasn't me! Think about it, you know I would never willingly hurt you!"

"Hold your tongue!" roared the lead wizard.

Draco ignored him, "You know that I would never become a Death Eater on my own! Hermione please believe me, you have to believe me. Deep down you know the truth, I know you do!"

"QUIET!"

"HERMIONE PLEASE!"

"SILENCIO!" the lead wizard shot the silencing spell at Draco, and instantly his dries went dead. But Hermione could still feel his eyes boring into her. She stopped considering her answer to the lead wizards' question, and finally glared Draco in the eye. His gaze was desperate; she could see the fear in his cool gray eyes. But for once her eyes were the cold icy ones, she was furious with him for expecting her to defend him when he had given her no reason to. "Sir," she said confidently, drawing the Wizengamot's attention from Draco to her, "I have no reason to think that he was not acting of his own free will. He never protested once during the initiation. On the contrary, he had been acting strangely for quite some time before then, so I am positive he had been planning it for a while." Hermione's eyes never left Draco's as she spoke, making sure each word cut into him like a razor sharp knife. She found that she felt a cruel sense of satisfaction seeing the stunned look of terror that formed in his eyes. He was mouthing something to her, but she didn't even try to read his lips, 'he's probably just begging for me to defend him,' she thought resentfully.

"Thank you Miss Granger," said the lead wizard, "if you have nothing more to add then you are free to go."

"Thank you sir," she nodded to him and to the rest of the Wizengamot. She smiled a little as she saw Dumbledore smile at her, and then, without looking at Draco, she quickly sped out of the chamber.

She was rather shocked to find that as soon as she left the chamber, she was shaking like a leaf. Suddenly all her courage and strength seemed to have evaporated, and all she wanted to do was cry. She had been so furious with hurt in there that all she wanted to do was hurt him back, but now, she felt even more pain than she had before she testified.

"Hermione, are you alright? What happened?" Tonks was looking at her worriedly.

Hermione couldn't remove the block from her throat in order to speak, so she just nodded, and began leading the way to the lifts. Tonks got the message not to talk about it, so she just silently accompanied Hermione back to the fireplaces in the main lobby. The two women stopped in front of an empty fireplace. Tonks could see the tears shimmering in the young girls eyes; she pulled Hermione into a tight hug. "You'll be fine Hermione, everything will be alright."

"Thanks," Hermione muttered, attempting a smile. "I better get going," she gestured to the fireplace.

Tonks nodded, "I'm sure I'll see you soon."

"That would be nice," whispered Hermione with a genuine grin. She stepped into the fireplace, Tonks handed her a small bit of floo powder, and Hermione sent herself spiraling back to Hogwarts. She stumbled out of the fireplace and into Dumbledore's circular office. She was thankful that Dumbledore had given her permission to skive off the rest of the classes today because she really didn't feel like going. She knew that she should, but she just couldn't handle being around people at the moment. Instead she wandered through the halls, they were empty and her footsteps quietly echoed off the stone walls. She eventually found herself in front of the portrait of the fruit basket which led to the kitchens. After her stomach gave a definitive rumble she tickled the pear and opened the door.

The house elves provided her with more than enough food, which she guiltily took. She felt like a complete hypocrite for taking things from them, but she was hungry, and had no other option at the moment. She wandered out to the grounds and sat by the lake munching on her food.

She sat there for hours, sometimes thinking about Draco, sometimes thinking about nothing, sometimes just letting her mind wander. It was approaching twilight by the time her peaceful solitude was finally interrupted.

"Hey"

Hermione looked up and saw Ron approaching "hey."

"Harry and I checked the map to see if you were back and we saw you were all by yourself out here. Harry figured you wanted to be alone, but I thought you might want someone to talk to." Ron's ears reddened and Hermione could tell he felt awkward, "I mean if I'm wrong you can just tell me, and I'll go back inside."

Hermione considered this; she really didn't know what she wanted other than for this whole fiasco to have never happened. Ron took her long pause as a rejection, and reddened even more, "right, well then I'll just go back in."

The disappointment in his tone was obvious, and it made Hermione feel very guilty, after all, there was no longer had any reason to continue pushing him away, was there? "No Ron. You can stay; I'm just not in the mood to talk very much. But you can stay if you want."

Ron smiled wide, but respected her wish not to speak, so he just sat down next to her. Their arms were dangerously close to touching, and if Hermione had been thinking about Ron, the close proximity between them may have bothered her. But at the present moment, her mind was miles away; on a cold island trapped in a lonely cell with the one she still loved. She hated him for what he had done to her heart. How could she allow him to continue to hold her love? He didn't deserve it. She sighed, and Ron watched her with concern in his face, "Why is it so hard to let go?" she whispered to herself. She had meant it as a rhetorical question, but Ron answered it anyway.

Ron hated that fact that Hermione was still thinking about Malfoy, clearly wanting him back. Yet when he spoke, he did his best to hide his disdain and hopefully get Hermione to focus on him instead. "Sometimes," he began, "the best way to let go is to completely move on. You know, find someone else so you can see that you can have something better than what you are missing. Someone who really loves you, and deserves to be with you."

It didn't take a genius to figure out what Ron was insinuating, but hearing him say it brought a tear to her eye. She refused to let it fall, but his words did bring despair to her heart because she truly felt like she would never find anything better than or even as good as, what she had lost. Yet her mind argued with her heart, 'Maybe I can have with Ron what I had with Draco.' She snuck a glance at Ron, 'Well Hermione, you'll never know unless you try.'

She took a deep breath, "thanks Ron," as she spoke, she moved her hand softly atop his. Ron beamed at her and shifted his hand so that he was holding hers, "I would never break your heart Hermione."

"I know," she whispered with a smile on her face, but with sadness in her eyes. 'Because you can't break something you don't have,' she added to herself with a sigh.

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So there you have it, things are definitely not looking good for Draco are they? Just to clarify for anyone who may have fears about this becoming a HG/RW fic, no worries, it is definitely a DM/HG fic all the way. How can that be with Draco in Azkaban you ask . . . .well, you'll just have to stay put and find out! Please review, and let me know your thoughts! Thanks!


	19. Chapter 19: Goodbye

**Disclaimer: **I am definitely not J.K. Rowling, so I definitely do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **_Slytherin-kittycat hands tissues to everyone who needs them after last chapter_. I'm so happy that everyone seems to like the fic so much (even though many of you think it's sad). I'll just post a general comment so I don't have to write it over and over. I know that a lot of you think that Hermione was really mean in this chapter, but remember, love tends to blind people, and she's broken hearted. She really can't see the truth, and she doesn't know what the looks in Draco's eyes meant, so she's just trying to protect herself from getting hurt again. With that, thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews!

_anIme-prYncess, jesska-14, fieryred20, Jaezi, Ginny-W13, Sayaku-chan, cardmajic, Sunflower18, __Chantal J, Karma Chameleon_ – Thank you all so much for the reviews! I hope the update came fast enough!  
_SharkAttak_ – lol I've actually surprised myself with how I've depicted Ron in this fic, I didn't intend to make him so mean when I started it. But now I can honestly say now that he'll get meaner before the end of the fic, oh well. Anyway, I'm so glad that you like it, and I hope you like this chapter too!

_I wish your heart was mine_ – ahhhh evil suspense dun dun dunnnnnn. lol thank you, I'm glad you like it so much!  
_Terretasha_ – lol well, judging by the fact that my kneecaps are still safely in tact, I'm guessing that the update came soon enough for you (at least I hope). Thanks for the review, and I hope you like the chapter!  
_LaurenJohnson924_ – aww thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter!  
_Zuvalupa -_ :o) I'm glad you like the suspense so much, and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!  
_CB_ – Thank you very much, I hope the update came fast enough, and that you like this chapter!  
_elektra30_ – no worries ;o) I'm so glad that you like the plot so much, and that you like how I've been portraying stuff. Despite what you are about to read in this chapter, in the world of fanfics I don't like Hermione going with Ron (although in the real books I'm all for it) but for the purposes of this fic, it's necessary that they get together. Gah, I'm really tempted to say more but every time I do, I feel like I'm giving stuff away, so I'm shutting up now. lol thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_Fire Angel_ – thank you I'm glad you like it so much! I hope the update came fast enough!

Now on with chapter 19!

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**Chapter 19: Goodbye**

Hermione and Ron sat in silence together until the sun had just about kissed the horizon. By then, Hermione's primal need to do something productive took over. Ron walked her back to her common room, never once letting go of her hand along the way. When they stopped in front of the Founder's portrait Hermione made to remove her hand from his, but Ron held on. In fact instead of letting go, he took her other hand with his free hand and held them both tight. "I am always here for you," he said in a deep, mature sounding voice, "and I have always loved you."

Hermione felt the heat rise around her, but nevertheless, she smiled slightly and started to turn towards the portrait. But before she did, Ron leaned forward and lightly kissed her forehead, "always" he repeated in a whisper. Hermione stopped dead and stared at him blankly, she didn't know what to do or say, so she did nothing. After a moment, she blinked and looked into his eyes, now seeing them in a slightly different light. "I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered.

He smiled and finally released her hands as he turned away towards the Gryffindor common room. Hermione watched him walk away for a moment before she managed to turn her attention away. She gave Helga the password (_neco spes_) and dazedly walked into the common room.

Harry was sitting on the couch with his firebolt and his broomstick servicing kit. He was clipping the stray twigs to make sure the broom was as streamline as possible. The final quidditch match against Slytherin was coming up on Saturday and he was doing everything possible to make sure Gryffindor would win this year. However, once he saw Hermione he put it all down, and practically jumped to his feet, "hey!" He quickly crossed the room and gave her a hug, "how'd it go? How are you? Are you alright? "

Hermione smiled a bit, "slow down Harry, I'm fine."

"And?" Harry looked at her seriously, "how'd it go?"

For some reason, Harry's penetrating emerald eyes had a way of crashing through Hermione's defenses and reaching straight into her heart, in a way that nothing and no one else did. For the first time all day she was unable to stop herself from breaking down. She quickly turned he head away so that Harry couldn't see her cry. But Harry was not to be so easily put off, "Hermione please tell me what happened," he urged gently.

Hermione sobbed and buried her face against Harry's chest; he allowed her a moment to calm her emotions before he led her to the couch and forced her to look at him. Hermione managed to get herself under control, and finally began to talk. "It was horrible. At first I couldn't even look at him. But then he practically begged me to defend him, so then I couldn't stop myself from looking at him, and it was like my heart stopped. He looked so desperate and vulnerable! Deep down I really wanted to help him, he said that he didn't do it willingly and I wanted to believe him Harry. I was dying to believe him, but my mouth was shouting things at him without me entirely knowing what I was saying. While I was there it was like all I wanted to do was tear him down and hurt him as much as he hurt me. But ever since I stepped out of that chamber I've been regretting it." Hermione stopped to control her breathing a bit. "What if he really didn't want to do it? What if I made a mistake?"

Harry had been silently listening up to this point, but as soon as he heard Hermione doubting herself, he had to interrupt, "Hermione, don't even go there. You have no reason to doubt what you did. You know what you saw, you know the truth. I know it hurts, but you did the right thing. And I'm proud of you for it. Ron's proud of you too."

Hermione sighed, remembering how Ron had held her hand practically the entire time they were together, "Thank you Harry. I don't know what I would do if it wasn't for you and Ron."

"Speaking of Ron, did you get to talk to him? I know he went looking for you after dinner."

"Yeah, he came and sat with me, but I wasn't in much of a chatty mood."

Harry nodded in understanding. A thick silence fell between them and Hermione was eagerly searching for anything that would occupy her mind. "You know," she said, attempting to sound cheerful, "we should really start thinking about the arrangements for the yearbook ceremony, and then practically right after that is the leaving ball and graduation. . ."

Harry could tell that she was just babbling to think about anything other than Malfoy, but he chuckled to himself anyway. Hermione was the other person he knew that took comfort in thinking about work. Harry let her talk; he heard her making all sorts of plans, although he listened to none of it. He was sure she would fill him in on what he needed to do once the time was right.

". . . and then of course we have to study for N.E.W.T.s. Speaking of which, I really should brush up on my charms. I haven't been mastering them nearly as quickly as I usually do."

"What are you talking about Hermione! You're the only one who actually got the spell to work last class!" Harry meanwhile not only did not master the spell, now he couldn't even remember what it was called.

"I know, but it took me nearly the entire period!" she answered incredulously.

"If you say so," shrugged Harry. "Tell you what, you go study charms, and I'll go do something else."

"You're going to regret not spending more time studying once the N.E.W.T.s come!" Hermione called to Harry's retreating back.

"Harry turned around to face her again, he highly doubted that he would seriously regret anything, nevertheless he decided to humor her. "Tell you what, when that happens, I'll let you be the first to say 'I told you so.'"

Hermione genuinely smiled and let out a small chuckle, "I'm holding you to that," she said before walking to her room. Her smile remained once she set down to work. She was so thankful to have a friend like Harry. He was always there to talk to and no matter what he could always cheer her up.

After working for quite some time on charms, Hermione finally forced herself to go to bed. As she laid her head on her soft pillows, an image of Draco threatened to take over her thoughts, but she refused to let it. In a desperate attempt to think of anything else, her mind wandered to the lake, where she and Ron had sat holding hands that evening. 'Things could work out with Ron' she told herself. 'After all, we've been friends for years, he's very sweet, and he truly cares about me, and that's what really matters right?'

- - - - -

Draco desperately stared at Hermione as she raced out of the chamber. He tried to meet her eye, and he was still silently shouting her name begging her to believe the truth. But she didn't look at him, not even one tiny glance. Once the doors had closed behind her with an echoing noise, he hung his head in despair. The first and only person he ever truly loved in the entire world had just walked determinedly out of his life forever.

He felt completely empty, like an emotional wasteland. He did not look up as the lead wizard began to speak again. "Well now that we have heard both testimonies, the Wizengamot shall deliberate as to your sentencing. Once we have agreed upon a sentence, the decision will be reviewed and approved or altered by the Committee of Magical Law Enforcement. Until that time, you are to return to Azkaban."

The now familiar feeling of cold swept through Draco's veins as the dementors led him from the chamber for the second time that week. At the moment, the only experience he was reliving was what had just happened in the chamber. He had never seen such hatred run through Hermione's eyes. Sure he had seen flashes of it over the years. For an instant in third year before she had slapped him, last year after she had caught him in his fake affair with Parkinson, but never had the hatred been so pure, and so unforgiving.

He stopped before touching the portkey that would take him to his Azkaban home. He turned his head and whispered "goodbye." It was more of a symbolic gesture of looking back on his life up until now than anything else, but it was something he felt he needed to do anyway. His eyelids closed as his head turned around again, he reached out his hand and instantly felt the portkey tugging him toward its destination.

He landed with a thud while the dementors continued to glide alongside him. Their boney hands grabbed his arms and for the final time, led him to his cell. As he walked passed the other prisoners he saw them as he had never seen them before. Now it was as if he viewed the world through an invisible wall he had constructed around himself. No emotion of any sort could pass through it either from him, nor to him because if there was one thing Draco had learned from this experience, it was that emotions caused pain, and Draco was tired of pain.

- - - -

The morning of the final quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was intense; both houses looked ready to kill each other. Breakfast had barely even started and already word had spread of three scuffles between Slytherins and Gryffindors. The Slytherins were all on edge without their star seeker, although they refused to admit their unease. Instead, for the past week they had showed their nerves by bullying stray Gryffindors in the corridors. With the exception of the Slytherins, everyone wanted Gryffindor to win so that Slytherin would finally be knocked off their high horse.

The entire house had become unbearable without the threat of Malfoy disciplining them around. The entire school had noticed the change, and they were not happy about it. Though no one had realized it before, the Slytherins were quite disciplined and bearable while Malfoy was Head Boy. Even though most people had always seen him as an arrogant bullying git, clearly he had been throwing his weight around to keep the Slytherins in line. Now however, there was no one to take charge, and the house was one giant free-for-all. Malfoy's old gang were the worst, but at least when Malfoy had been the one antagonizing people there had been some measure of wit involved. Now everything was nothing more than childish bullying.

From his position at the Gryffindor table, Harry surveyed his new competition. Slytherin had chosen a speedily built fifth year to take Draco's place as the team's seeker. Harry wasn't worried though because Dean and Seamus had gone to spy on one of the Slytherin quidditch practices and they both assured Harry that the new seeker would be no match for him.

The Slytherins stood to leave the Great Hall and immediately, their house's cheers were drowned out by loud boos from the rest of the school. Moments later, the Gryffindor team exited to exuberant cheers from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Hermione beamed at Ron and Harry and wished them luck as they left.

During the match, the Slytherins played dirtier than ever. It seemed as if their strategy centered on preventing Harry from searching for the snitch rather than trying to score points. Twice already, Harry had nearly been blindsided by a bludger, though luckily he had managed to avoid it both times. And the chasers, rather than chase the quaffle, were chasing after Harry. Yet as lowdown and dirty as their tactics were, they were definitely serving their intended purpose. Harry had barely had a moment to pause and search for the snitch all game. Thankfully the Slytherin seeker hadn't been able to see the snitch thus far either.

"Harry watch out!" Ron yelled.

An instant later, Harry heard a bludger catapulting towards him from behind. Harry dove and only just managed to avoid getting hit. It was so close that he could feel the rush of wind from the passing bludger in his hair. 'That was too close' he thought wildly as his eyes darted around for a glint of gold. Things were getting desperate, unless he figured out a way to avoid the Slytherin's attacks, there was a large chance that their seeker would find the snitch first, and that Harry would be practically killed in the meantime.

"I can't believe what they're doing!" cried Hermione from the stands, "they're going to get him killed!"

"I don't think that would bother them too much Hermione," reasoned Ginny worriedly. She was gripping the banister in front of her so tightly that he knuckles were white.

Hermione frowned because she knew that Ginny was right, "come on Harry!" she urged under her breath.

The crowd gasped as Harry narrowly avoided another bludger attack. The Gryffindors were doing their best to protect Harry, but the Slytherins were ruthless. So far it was a low scoring game what with both teams preoccupied with the dirty, yet not quite illegal, tactics the Slytherins were using. The score was tied at 60 points apiece, so it was anyone's guess as to who would win.

The Slytherin seeker thus far had remained far away from all the action, and he seemed to be enjoying watching Harry suffer rather than searching for the snitch. 'You wouldn't be so cocky if these bludgers were flying at you!' thought Harry venomously as he glared at his opponents' smug face. 'Wait! That's it!' Harry suddenly got an idea. He turned in midair and sped directly towards the Slytherin seeker. The boy panicked and sat frozen on his broom. Harry pulled to a stop a few feet away. The Slytherin recovered from his shock and put on a quick burst of speed, which Harry mimicked. Harry kept following the Slytherin seeker, matching every movement he made, finally once the Slytherin realized what was going on, he stopped and glowered at Harry. Harry's plan was to tail the Slytherins seeker because then, if the Slytherins decided to send a bludger at him, they would risk hitting their own, less agile, seeker instead. Harry's plan worked, the Slytherins knew he was the more skilled flier, and they didn't want to injure their own seeker, so they stopped using Harry as their target practice. Now that they were finally left alone, the hunt for the snitch went into high gear and the play down below became even more intense.

Harry made sure to continue tailing the Slytherin seeker while at the same time, keeping a sharp eye out for the snitch. Down below, Ron had demonstrated his hard work and improvement by making a couple of spectacular saves. The crowd was going wild with anticipation and several players on both teams were sporting some rather serious injuries, though they all refused to drop out of the game. In the stands, Hermione's attention remained on Harry for the most part, unless the play was nearing the Gryffindor goals. Then she focused on cheering for Ron.

Zabini had just stopped a Gryffindor scoring attempt when both seekers shot off towards the Gryffindor side of the field. Hermione gasped along with the rest of the crowd. Everyone was on their feet and holding their breath. Harry was in front with his arm outstretched, but the Slytherin seeker was closing in. "Come on Harry!" shouted Hermione. She and the other Gryffindors were cheering so loud that they were practically screaming themselves hoarse. Finally, Harry clenched his fist and spun out to a stop in midair. He landed, raised his fist, which held the winged snitch, and beamed at the crowd. The Slytherins slumped in disappointment and anger, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw cheered enthusiastically, but the Gryffindors went absolutely crazy. The team charged into Harry to congratulate him, and the rest of the house flooded the field in victory.

Hermione and Ginny pushed their way to the center where Harry and Ron were. Hermione gave Harry a hug then turned to Ron. He pulled her into a tight hug, and then without thinking he impulsively brought his lips to hers. Hermione was so high on excitement that she didn't even realize the awkwardness of it at first. Out of habit she returned the gesture, until reality hit her. She pulled away and stared at Ron wide-eyed. He seemed to have come to his senses too, and was looking incredibly uncomfortable. They were both speechless, and standing uncomfortably close to each other amidst all their cheering, oblivious housemates. Luckily, Dumbledore's magnified voice rang out over the pitch and took their attention away from each other and what had just happened between them. "Well done, congratulations to both teams on an exciting and very close game. Now if the Gryffindor team will please join me in the professors' box."

The Gryffindors cheered their team as they marched up to the box where Dumbledore stood waiting with the quidditch cup. Dumbledore's voice again boomed over the crowd, "Congratulations Gryffindor on a spectacular undefeated season!" The crowd cheered, "And not, it is my pleasure to present you with the quidditch cup!" As Dumbledore handed the cup to Ron, it was as if the volume of the pitch was turned up to the bursting point. Most of the Slytherins had already left the pitch, so there weren't even any booing to disturb the happiness. When Ron passed the cup to Harry, the crowd got, if possible, even louder.

Once each team member had gotten a chance to hold the cup, the team passed it to professor McGonagall, and then made their way back down to the field where their house was still waiting for them. Hermione and Ginny ran to Harry and Ron, they were both beaming wildly. Ron's ears were still red, though Hermione was not sure if that was from excitement, or embarrassment. She decided not to dwell on the kiss and instead enjoy celebrating Gryffindors win along with everyone else. She tore her eyes away from Ron's, and kept her face as unreadable as possible (which was surprisingly easy since she didn't know how she felt about what had happened).

"You guys did amazing!" cried Ginny.

"Yeah!" agreed Hermione, relieved to be talking. "Harry that was a brilliant idea to stay so close to the Slytherin seeker like that, and Ron some of those saves were amazing!"

Harry and Ron smiled at Hermione; Ron's ears were still red but he beamed at Hermione's compliment. "Well come on!" urged Ginny, "the rest of the house is probably already parting away!"

The group happily made their way to the Gryffindor common room; the adrenaline was still pumping high. The party was in full swing by the time they arrived. As soon as they entered, their housemates began pushing butterbeer and sweets at them. Over the course of the night, Harry was asked to retell what it was like having the bludgers constantly after him in the beginning of the match, he humbly answered, downplaying the excitement, much to the disappointment of his eager audience. Ron however was much more of a crowd pleaser. He willingly told and retold play by play versions of each one of his exciting saves. Hermione noticed that with each retelling, the saves got closer, and the situation more dangerous. No one else seemed to notice or mind, but Hermione quickly grew bored of it. She had never been much of a partier, plus, now that quidditch was over, she had to complete that section of the yearbook so it could be added to what had already been sent out. Figuring that no one would miss her, she maneuvered around her housemates and out of the stuffy common room. Hermione was relieved when she reached the peacefulness of the hallway; all the noise and people had been stifling her. She was walking slowly, prewriting the description of the final quidditch match in her mind as she went. She heard the sound of the portrait door opening and closing behind her, and she turned around to see who it was.

"Hermione!" called Ron as he jogged to catch up with her

Suddenly her head was so filled with thought of what had happened at the pitch that she could hardly believe she had managed to forget about it at all. She swallowed an invisible block in her throat; "yes?" she was pleased with how calm she sounded.

"I'm . . . I just wanted . . . . I . . ." Ron closed his eyes and took a breath, "I'm sorry about before, I really didn't mean to just kiss you like that, I don't know why I did it. I didn't want to, err I mean it's not that I didn't _want_ to cause I did, it's just that I didn't want to do it that way." Ron's entire face was bright red, and even Hermione could feel herself blushing a bit.

It took Hermione a moment to go over all that he had said, but once she did a small smile came to her face. She was very relieved that he had come to talk to her and that he had been so honest with her right off the bat. Honesty . . . that was something she and Draco had lacked right from the start. As soon as her feelings for him started changing, she had started lying to and hiding things from her friends, two things she had never done until she got tangled up with the Slytherin Prince.

She wanted to have a relationship that she could always be honest about; someone who she knew would never hide things from her or lie to her. And Ron seemed to be the perfect person to provide her with that type of relationship. "It's ok Ron," she said finally, with a smile. "I admit, I was kinda uncomfortable with what you did, but I'm really glad that you came to talk to me about it."

Ron beamed at her, "do you think we might be able to try again?" he asked hopefully.

Hermione laughed, had Ron really just asked permission to kiss her? That was certainly something Draco had never done. "I think I would like that," she answered softly, gazing into his eyes.

Ron licked his lips nervously, their eyes were locked, and Ron looked excited and nervous at the same time. He leaned down slowly, and was still rather tense when their lips finally touched. Hermione kissed him back, encouraging him to relax. He finally did right before she pulled away.

Ron was gazing dreamily at her, and Hermione was wearing a guarded expression of happiness. She smiled and whispered, "well, you better get back, people are gonna notice your gone."

"Right," Ron took her hands in his, "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Of course," she smiled sweetly back at him before they both turned towards their respective destinations and walked away.

Hermione's guard was finally let down once she had closed the portrait door behind her. A cloud of disappointment hung over her head. She had tried, she had really tried. But kissing Ron was nothing like kissing Draco, and there was no question which she preferred. Draco's kiss was confident, full of emotion and desire. Ron's kiss was tense and unsure; it did not feel as if he had been striving to please her. Even though Draco had most definitely been more experienced of the two in terms of relationships, Hermione had always felt like his kisses and touches were meant just to make her happy. Hermione could still remember their first kiss. She had been so shocked when it happened, but she could still remember the taste of his lips and the flow of emotions that consumed them both. She closed her eyes, licked her lips and could almost feel it again.

But then she opened her eyes, and thought about the kiss she had just shared with Ron. With Ron she had felt no emotion or desire. She had wanted to feel it; she had tried to feel it, but her heart just didn't seem to be in it. Her eyes wandered to Draco's old room, "damn you," she whispered through gritted teeth.

* * *

_Slytherin-kittycat thinks that she may need to put a shield charm around her to deflectany objects that her readers may feel like throwing at her after reading this chapter._

I know that was an incredibly long wait for a rather short chapter, but in my defense I had finals to study for and a major case of writers block to deal with. Anyway, I hope you liked it (even though I have a feeling that several of you may hate me for having them kiss). You have no idea how hard it was for me to write this chapter because I'm so eager to get to the next part of the fic that I wanted to just skip ahead. For example, coming up in the next chapter is the beginning of some stuff that I have been planning for months, and I've been dying to post it . . . . .That's all I'll say for the moment cause I don't want to give stuff away. I would love to get reviews from everyone and hear what you think (even if it's just to yell at me for the kiss lol ;o) )

Oh and FYI, the new password to the Head's common room is Latin for "to kill hope", just so no one thinks I'm making up words or something.


	20. Chapter 20: The Truth

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling makes people like the idea of Ron and Hermione being together. I on the other hand seem to make people hate that idea in favor of a Draco and Hermione pairing. Therefore I am obviously not J.K. Rowling.

**A/N: **I would like to thank everyone for sticking with this fic even though I know many of you were not happy with what happened last chapter. I hope you all like this chapter better. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys are the greatest!

_tr, unkown, Buck-A-Beak, jesska-14, zuvalupa, anIme-prYncess, I wish your heart was mine_ – I'm glad you all like the story, even though you didn't like the RW/HG part. Trust me it was probably just as hard for me to write as it was for you to read, but for the purposes of this fic, I felt it necessary. Don't worry there's not much more I promise.  
_CB_ – you're welcome. And I am dying to answer your questions, but at the same time I would never want to spoil the excitement. So I will leave it at that. Thanks for the review!  
_Ginny-W13_ – I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make anyone hate R/Hr. I really didn't because in the real books I fully support it, but in fan fics . . . . . .no. I'm glad that you got over it so quickly though, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
_Chantal J_ – thanks for the review, I hope you like this chapter!  
_elektra30_ – yeah it is weird how we perceive things in the books so differently than in fan fics. . . . interesting. Anyway yes, the tension/excitement/whatever you want to call it is coming up shortly. ;o)  
_cardmajic_ – me an my stupid typos. Oh well, hopefully this chapter will be typo free (although I'm not promising anything ;o) ) Anyway, thank you for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_Fire Angel_ – I'm glad you like the Latin passwords, I wanted them to have some meaning to the story without it being glaringly obvious, so I thought that was a good way to do it. I hope the stuff coming up is good, cause I have been looking forward to posting it for quite some time. It begins at the end of this chapter, and then will continue to the next couple chapters, so I hope you like it. And I admit I think it's fun to scare my readers with the chapter titles, but trust me, you'll know when it's the end (cause I'll tell you lol) :o) That being said, I hope you like this chapter, and thanks for the review!  
_Sayaku-chan_ – yes it was hard to write the RW/HG parts because I'm not a fan of writing them. However for this fic it was necessary to have a bit of it. I hope you like the stuff that's coming up, and thanks for the review!

I present to you Chapter 20!

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* * *

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**Chapter 20: The Truth**

The trio was now seated around a table in the Gryffindor common room. Books and stacks of parchment were scattered around everywhere. Hermione had spent the rest of the previous night perfecting the spread of the final quidditch match for the yearbook. So when she woke up before everyone else, we went to find Colin Creevey to get the photos from the final match. She quickly pasted them in their appropriate places, and then she delivered the finished product to Dumbledore. "Excellent Miss Granger," the rest of the book should be just about done, so the finished product should be delivered relatively shortly."

"That's great professor!" Hermione was anxious and excited to see how it turned out. She really hoped everyone liked it and that they appreciated all the hard work she and the prefects put into it.

Once she returned to the common room, Harry had finally awoken and he convinced her to study with him and Ron in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was very reluctant to agree because she found it very difficult to concentrate in there with all the other students making so much noise. Yet Harry had insisted, and in the end she gave in.

Now however, she was regretting her decision. She was hardly making any progress on the potions essay Snape had assigned, and the group of third years who were playing exploding snap in the corner were getting on her last nerve. She kept throwing them angry glares, but they remained blissfully unaware.

Finally, after the pack of cards exploded for the fifth time, she tossed her quill down and threw her potions book closed. "That's it! I can't take it. How can you two concentrate with all that racket going on over there?"

The boys stopped, "I don't know. I just don't pay much attention to them I guess," shrugged Harry.

"Yeah, and we don't focus on our work as much as you do," added Ron.

"Hermione huffed and crossed her arms, "Well I'm never going to get this essay done with all the noise they're making."

"Ron put his hand on her shoulder, "Snape's essay isn't due for another week, I'm sure you'll finish it just fine."

Hermione risked a glance at his puppy dog face and gave him a playful push, "yes I would finish it, but I wouldn't be me if I waited until the last minute."

Ron kissed her head, "and that's why we love you 'mione."

"A sudden haunted look overtook Hermione's face. Not even Ron's wide toothy smile could ease the pain from her eyes. While Ron was apparently proud of the nickname he had come up with, all Hermione could do was sadly remember the time when Draco had called her that very same thing. It brought to her mind bittersweet memories of the flirtatious banter they had shared together. They were memories that she was now forcing herself to erase from her mind while at the same time longing to hold onto them forever. "Please Ron," she pleaded, "don't call me that."

Ron's smile vanished and was replaced with concern, "but why? What's wrong?"

"Just . . . don't call me that," she repeated sternly as she threw her things into her bag. She refused to look at either of the boys, but that didn't prevent them from noticing her pursed lips and sudden guarded air. Both boys knew that only one person could bring about such a sudden change in Hermione's mood. But while Ron was jealous, Harry was curious. Hermione had seemed to be taking everything well, too well perhaps. Ron had eagerly told Harry about kissing her and Harry had been happy for them. But between Hermione's behavior now and the way she had acted after testifying at Malfoy's trial, Harry couldn't help but wonder if she had been as excited about kissing Ron as he had been about kissing her. As much as Harry wanted Ron to be happy, he couldn't help but think that he had become a sort of rebound relationship for Hermione. Not that Harry thought she would do that sort of thing on purpose, but that didn't mean that her heart was truly in it either.

- - - - - - - -

Whether she was just dating Ron because she knew he liked her, or if she really had started to care for him the way he cared for her, the pair continued dating through April. As time passed, Hermione actually managed to convince herself that she loved Ron. She forced back the memories of Draco so hard that eventually, she stopped consciously thinking about him . . . until the yearbooks arrived that is.

It was the second to last Friday of April when Dumbledore asked Hermione and Harry to meet him in his office to see the completed yearbooks. Hermione couldn't contain her excitement as she and Harry rode up the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office. Harry, who had not been Head Boy early enough to work on the yearbook, found Hermione's giddy behavior quite amusing.

Dumbledore's majestic circular office had several boxes piled on the floor and Dumbledore smiled as the two entered, "Ah, good evening to you both. We will be announcing the date of the yearbook ceremony tomorrow; however I wanted you two to be the first to see them." Dumbledore opened the nearest box and removed two thick black books. Engraved on the cover was the Hogwarts crest, and below that the year. "I must complement you on all your hard work Miss Granger, it looks stunning."

Hermione beamed and blushed as Dumbledore handed her one of the books. Carefully, she eased the cover open, and she turned each page gingerly, as if she were touching a precious treasure. If possible, her smile widened with each turn of a page. She did not examine it as thoroughly as she would have liked, but it was such a large book that to go through everything in depth would have taken hours.

"Wicked!" Harry exclaimed as he watched images of a set of quidditch balls and a broomstick fly around his head.

Hermione laughed, she had had a feeling that the quidditch section was going to be Harry's favorite part. Harry closed his copy, and then opened it to the same page in order to see the quidditch supplies fly around again. Hermione turned the page in her own book as she watched the image of the snitch zoom back to it's place on the page. When her attention turned back to her book she felt her throat constrict instantly. She had reached the Head Boy and Girl pages, and right in front of her were three pictures. One of her, one of Draco, and worst of all, one of the two of them together, both smiling and looking happy.

Harry looked up expecting to see Hermione's shining smile, but instead of happiness, he saw a frown on her lips and that haunted look in her eyes again. It was a look he hadn't seen in quite a few weeks, but he had no doubt who had caused it. He glanced at Hermione's book and sure enough saw a photo of Malfoy, along with a brief bio of him. Yet it seemed that what was actually bothering Hermione was a photo of the two of them on her side of the spread. 'Oh Hermione,' he sighed to himself dispiritedly.

After a moment, Hermione seemed to come to her senses and resumed glancing through the yearbook. But the excitement never fully returned to her eyes no matter how much she pretended to smile.

Once they were finished browsing, Dumbledore offered to allow them to take their copies early. But Hermione practically threw her copy back into the box as she shook her head and politely refused. She muttered something about not wanting to be unfair to the rest of the seventh years by getting their copies ahead of everyone else.

Dumbledore nodded with a gentle smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, "Very well, in that case you may go. Again, excellent work Miss Granger."

Hermione smiled slightly "Thank you professor," and then the two Gryffindors turned to leave.

That night, Hermione and Harry joined Ron and Ginny in the Gryffindor common room to hang out. Ron and Hermione were seated on the couch, Ron's arm draped around Hermione's shoulders. Harry and Ginny were each seated on a squashy armchair.

"So?" began Ginny "how did the yearbook turn out? I can't wait to see it! I only wish that I was getting a copy too!"

Hermione smiled "You'll get one next year Ginny, and it turned out great, I'm very happy with it."

Behind the smile and assurance that she was proud of it, Harry saw a hint of the sadness he had seen earlier, but he chose not to bring it up. "Yeah, it looks awesome, and Ron, wait til you see the quidditch section, it's wicked!"

"I can't wait," Ron answered hugging Hermione closer to him.

Hermione smiled and shifted closer to Ron while at the same time trying to ignore the peculiar look Harry was sending her. He was looking at her in a manner similar to the way Dumbledore sometimes looked, as if he was trying to see into her mind. She wished he wouldn't, she didn't want anyone to see her vulnerable thoughts which were once again lingering on Draco.

- - - - - - - -

Over the next week, Hermione once again had to focus on forgetting about Draco, but it was a difficult struggle, and she was gradually loosing the energy and the will to fight. Going out with Ron wasn't proving to be as effective of a distraction as she thought it would be. And it seemed that the more time passed, the harder it was to stop thinking about Draco. With Ron, things had quickly become boring and routine, with Draco there had never been a dull moment, and she missed that excitement.

She had on more than one occasion considered breaking things off with Ron, but each time she was about to do it, she stopped herself. What would be the point? It would only serve to anger and upset Ron, and then they would both be completely miserable. Plus it wasn't like she had any other options; the man her stubborn heart still wanted was rotting away in Azkaban.

To occupy herself, and as an excuse not to spend so much time with Ron, she buried herself in her books, and was quite confident that she would receive call outstandings on her N.E.W.T.s even though they were still a month away. That was what she was doing right now, focusing entirely on her studies. She was sitting in potions, next to her partner Millicent Bulstrode. Hermione was still a bit wary of Millicent after the dueling club incident second year where the two girls had resorted to muggle fighting instead of wizard's dueling. Plus, the memory of how Hermione had transfigured herself into Millicent's cat with the polyjuice potion was still all too clear in her mind. And even though Millicent had now knowledge of that particular incident, it still did not rest easily with Hermione.

As a result, Hermione offered to concoct the potion by herself if Millicent would just not say or do anything. Millicent, never being one for potions herself, happily agreed and was expertly holding up her end of the bargain. Albeit all she had to do was nothing. Since Hermione was left to her own devices, the potion was coming along perfectly. The mixture was the perfect color purple, and just the right consistency. Hermione carefully added the final ingredient and watched the potion simmer with a look of satisfaction on her face.

She was watching the potion cool when across the room and a few rows behind her came a loud BANG! Gooey purple potion spewed everywhere hitting quite a few people within range of the small explosion.

"WEASLEY!" Snape was covered in the thick purple liquid that a second ago had been Ron's and Blaise's mood altering potion. Apparently their potion had failed because it was supposed to make the drinker cheerful, and at the moment Snape was anything but. On the contrary, he was fuming; his eyes were flashing and nearly bulging out of their sockets. Ron had been trying to gradually increase the temperature of the flames when his partner, Zabini had purposely knocked his arm so that the wand tip touched the base of the flames. The result was instantaneous, the potion exploded and unfortunately landed on Snape, who was passing by at the time.

Snape magically cleaned the potion off his face, and glared at the entire class as if daring them to make a noise. Ron's ears were steadily reddening; he glared at Blaise, who was smirking smugly. "Detention Weasley, for your incompetence, and thirty points from Gryffindor for failure to follow simple instructions." Snape turned to stalk away.

Ron gaped with indignation at Snape, "but professor, it was Zabini's fault!"

"Make that fifty points! Now keep talking Weasley and I'll make it a week's detention!" Snape spat, stressing each word furiously.

Ron forced himself to close his mouth. He looked to both Harry and Hermione, but all they could do was give him supportive looks of pity in return.

"That stupid, evil, slimy, insufferable, idiotic . . ."

Harry and Hermione could only walk along and listen as Ron continued coming up with increasingly vile names to call Snape. After a while they got so bad that Hermione slapped his arm to get him to stop. He did stop saying them out loud, but he continued muttering obscenities under his breath.

"Come on Ron, think about something else, you'll have all night to come up with foul names for Snape," reminded Hermione.

"hmph."

"She's right mate, think about something else."

Ron didn't respond, but he did stop muttering.

- - - - - - - -

That night Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny were all hanging out in the Great Hall after dinner; they were keeping Ron company until it was time for his detention with Snape. The Potions Master was making Ron clean the entire potions classroom the muggle way and Ron was not looking forward to it.

"Hermione you're coming back to the common room with me right?" asked Ginny.

"Yeah sure" Hermione smiled and glanced at her watch, "Ron, don't you think you should get going? I'd hate to think of what Snape would do to you if you were late for detention.

"Yeah yeah, I know, I'll see you all later."

The remaining three Gryffindors watched as Ron slumped away. "Well, we're going to the common room, so we'll see you later Harry!" said Ginny, quickly getting over her pity for her brother.

"Later," called Harry as the two girls dashed away. He meanwhile meandered through the halls, deciding that he would go take a really long shower since he had nothing better to do, and he didn't feel like studying again.

- - - - - - - -

It took Ron over three hours to finish cleaning the classroom to Snape's satisfaction. The slimy git had forced Ron to continuously scrub areas that Ron was positive would never get clean even if they were treated with the most powerful spells known to wizarding kind.

Ron could not have gotten out of that potions classroom quick enough. His fingers and arms ached, his back was sore from leaning down for so long, and he was just generally in a bad mood. He had just about reached the end of the dungeons when he heard something that chased all thoughts of Snape from his mind.

"But this wasn't the way it was supposed to happen!"

Ron paused upon hearing the desperate shouting, the voice sounded familiar, and whoever it was sounded really upset. With his Gryffindor instincts kicking in, he turned back into the dungeons and headed towards the voice, wondering who it was and what she was talking about.

"It's too late now Pansy! Besides the pathetic traitor had it coming to him!"

Ron's eyes widened in surprise when he heard the voice of Blaise Zabini, obviously he and Pansy were arguing about someone, and Ron was almost positive he knew who they were arguing about. He just didn't know why. Ron's curiosity got the better of him and decided to continue listening, he hid in the shadows of a serpent statue close enough to the room in which the two Slytherins were so he could hear them, but hidden enough so that if they decided to leave the room, he would not be seen..

"I know! But even with how he betrayed us all he doesn't deserve that!" Pansy's harsh whisper was followed by a desperate sob.

"He betrayed us Pansy, he turned his back on our Master, and the idiot fell in love with a mudblood for God's sake!" retorted Blaise. "We did everything we could to get him to see where he belonged, but the arrogant jerk was too stubborn to listen to reason!"

Pansy continued sobbing loudly. After a particularly loud sob she paused in silence. "I wish I never agreed to the stupid plan" she stated defiantly.

"Shut up Pansy, you know you never would have opposed the Dark Lord's orders," spat Blaise. "Besides, you can't be serious, wasn't it much better to have him in the inner circle, even if he was under imperius than it would have been to have left him alone with his mudblood girlfriend here?"

Pansy breathed in quickly, trying to prevent herself from crying, Ron could hear her breathing growing stronger and angrier, and his ears were pricked, ready to hear what she had to say.

"He never got to the inner circle Blaise! Besides, having him here, even it was with that filthy mudblood would have been better than having him end up in Azkaban with those foul dementors! You all promised me that if we put the curse on him he would see that he had been wrong, and once he was no longer under the curse he would see that I was the right girl for him. But no! He never saw the error in his choice, and now he's in Azkaban! He was never supposed to get caught!" Once Pansy was finished with her rant she finally lost control and broke down crying.

"Get over it Parkinson! The traitor got what he deserved! And even if he had come to listen to reason, he wouldn't have liked you." There was a small pause before Blaise spoke again, "But maybe now that he has time to sit and think about it with all those dementors he'll see that it was a mistake to resist the Dark Lord. Not that that will help him now, he's never getting out of there," Blaise spoke with a cruel happiness. His tone clearly disgusted Pansy because suddenly she was racing towards the Slytherin common room. Almost immediately, Blaise followed her sauntering passed Ron's hiding place, oblivious to his presence.

Once Ron was sure the hallway was once again empty, he tore through the school all the way up to the portrait of the Hogwarts Founders. There was only one founder in the portrait and it happened to be Salazar. "What do you want?" he snarled at Ron.

"Please let me in! This is important!" begged Ron.

But Salazar was not moving, "No password, no entrance," he spat malevolently.

"Can you go get Harry then, so he can let me in?" asked Ron attempting not to sound annoyed, though it was a struggle.

"I do not appreciate being spoken to in that tone! You need to learn to respect your superiors," retorted Salazar arrogantly.

Ron could not believe he was being instructed on manners by a portrait, and a completely disagreeable one at that. "UGH!" shouted Ron, "Harry! Harry! Let me in! Ha . . ."

The portrait door opened in the middle of one of Ron's shouts, revealing a very confused Harry, "What is it?" he asked as he led Ron inside, both boys chose to ignore Salazar's enraged protests.

Ron sat down on the couch in front of the fire, finally taking a moment to catch his breath. "Detention that bad?" Harry asked as he clapped Ron on the back.

Ron who was still trying to catch his breath shook his head fast. "I have to tell you something," he whispered urgently.

Harry frowned as he sat next to Ron on the couch. "Hermione's not here right?" asked Ron, quickly glancing around.

"No, she's still with Ginny in the Gryffindor common room, "Why what's up?" Harry asked, figuring that Snape must have done or said something pretty horrible to cause Ron to run all the way from the dungeons to the common room.

However, now that he had had an opportunity to calm down a bit, Ron was questioning whether or not he should tell Harry anything. If what he had heard was true, then Malfoy really was innocent. But if Hermione knew that, then she would want to clear his name, and she would feel guilty for testifying against him. And if Malfoy was freed, she'd probably end up running back to him just like she ran back to him at the Leaving Ball last year. Ron looked at Harry, thinking about making up some stupid story about detention with Snape. But deep down he knew that if he didn't tell someone about what he heard, the guilt would kill him. Even if it was just because of Malfoy.

"Alright," began Ron, "after my detention I was walking back to the common room when I heard some voices . . . "Ron told Harry the entire story. He repeated what Pansy and Blaise had said as best as he could remember.

Harry stared at Ron in shock when he finished the story, "but, that means . . ."

"Malfoy was telling the truth, he really was under the imperius curse the whole time."

"We have to tell someone!" cried Harry. "Even an arse like Malfoy doesn't deserve Azkaban if he's innocent." Harry stopped to think for a moment. He could not believe that he was now defending Draco Malfoy, the one student who had continuously tried to make his life a living hell at Hogwarts. But then he thought of Sirius, and how he had suffered in Azkaban for 12 years when he had been innocent the entire time. And no matter how much Harry hated Malfoy he could not wish a fate like that on anyone who was innocent. Harry paused, and glanced at Ron, "are you planning on telling Hermione?"

"I don't know I just need a couple days to think," answered Ron.

"Well what are you going to do? You can't just ignore it and leave him there!"

"I know, I just, what if they let him out, and he comes back, and then she goes back to him again?"

"I don't know mate," shrugged Harry, while at the same time thinking it was a very real concern and a likely possibility.

"Let's sleep on it, maybe it will help. But I'll definitely tell Dumbledore by the end of the week," suggested Ron.

"By the end of the week! Ron he's in there now, do you have any idea what being around that many dementors feels like!" Harry could not believe that Ron was going to wait to tell anyone. Harry remembered back in his third year when he was surrounded by 100 dementors by the lake when he was trying to save Sirius, it was the worst feeling ever. "At least tell Dumbledore tomorrow, even if you don't tell Hermione, tell Dumbledore."

"Alright fine," agreed Ron grudgingly, "I'll tell Dumbledore at breakfast."

- - - - - - - -

Draco was sitting on the ground in a corner of his cell with his eyes closed. He was dangerously thin; his robes were hanging loosely over his skeletal frame, and his breath was labored. A plate of half eaten scraps sat forgotten next to the cell door. Draco heard the sounds outside his cell, though they sounded miles away. He heard something stop by his door; the noise was followed by a click and a brief flash of light. The light killed Draco's eyes even through his closed eyelids. The prison was always so dark that even the faintest bit of light had become painful to him.

The figure who had snapped the picture then opened Draco's door, and pulled him up to a standing position. Draco obliged, and with immense difficulty shuffled his way out of the cell, his sore joints howled in pain each step of the way from lack of use. His eyes were opened slightly, just enough so that he could see his feet shuffling beneath him. The man who was supporting him led him to a room outside the chamber of cells, and pushed him into a chair. Draco scrunched up his eyes as he felt a headache coming on due to the increased light and warmth within the room. With great difficulty, he opened his eyes and saw the Head of the Committee of Magical Law Enforcement standing in front of him.

"Draco Malfoy, I am here to announce that the Committee of Magical Law Enforcement has reviewed your case and has made its final decision regarding your sentencing."

The man paused long enough for Draco to look up directly into his eyes. Draco didn't look afraid, just resigned to whatever fate he was about to be given. He closed his eyes as the wizard delivering his sentence opened his mouth, and when the wizard finally spoke, Draco's heart nearly stopped.

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Well I hope everyone liked this chapter. I'm hoping to get the next one up really quickly, so I'll do my best. In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think of this latest chapter! Thanks :o)


	21. Chapter 21: The Kiss

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **Yes I know cliffhangers are evil, but they make everything so much more exciting they're impossible to resist. Anyway, I'm glad everyone liked last chapter, and I hope you all like this one even more because I certainly enjoyed writing it!

_You Rock, Buck-A-Beak, unknown, LJ924, zuvalupa, midnightwanderer01, anIme-prYncess, __Chantal J, __Lee, Sayaku-chan, mickey823, Sunflower18, Ginny-W13 _– Thanks for the reviews! I hope the update came fast enough and that you all like this chapter.  
_jesska-14 _– that's an interesting idea . . . . . I won't tell you which one is right though (cause you find out in this chapter anyway. Thanks for the review!  
_Fire Angel _– _slytherin-kittycat looks at the chapter title_ ummmm . . .no comment lol It certainly would be a surprise if Hermione had no clue and then Draco came back. There are definitely a lot of possible ways for this story to turn, so I hope you like the direction I've decided to take it here and in later chapters as well. Thanks a lot for the review!  
_CB_ – lol there's no shame in feeling sorry for Ron, he's not a bad guy, just a bit selfish. I would answer your questions, but that would seriously ruin this chapter, so I won't. Hope the update came quick enough, and I hope you like it!  
_cindy _– oh no, I hope my fic didn't keep you from sleeping entirely! I also hope this chapter meets your expectations, thanks for the review!_  
SharkAttak _– thank you very much, I'm so happy you liked it. And I don't think it's mean to want Hermione to suffer a bit of guilt, after all, he was telling the truth, and she did refuse to listen, so I think it only natural that she feel guilty. That is, if Ron tells her the truth of course . . . . . Thanks for the review!  
_Melia_ – thank you! I'm so happy you thought Ron hearing the truth was such a good idea. I hadn't thought about that, about Draco owing Ron for finding out the truth, hmmm . . . I have to consider this for the future chapters. Thanks again and I hope you like the update!  
_I wish your heart was mine _– thank you, I'm glad you liked it so much. I think we'll find out this chapter whether or not you end up hating Ron forever, so that should be interesting. Anyway, thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_elektra30_ – I'll start out with a big I'M SORRY for not reviewing your fic sooner. I feel horrible for taking so long to read/review your chapter, when you're always so quick to read/review mine. I'll seriously try to be better about that next chapter, and in the future. Anyway, I'm so happy you liked this chapter. And yeah, I thought it would be a bit boring focusing only on Hermione and Draco's thoughts here because they would become rather monotonous and repetitive, but Harry's and Ron's perspectives brought a new angle to the same story like you said, so I'm glad it succeeded in keeping it interesting. Thanks for the review, and I really hope you like this chapter!

Now, onto the much anticipated chapter 21!

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**Chapter 21: The Kiss**

Ron woke up with a feeling of dread. He wished he could go back in time and just keep on walking when he heard Parkinson and Zabini talking, that way he wouldn't have any guilt complicating his thoughts. He took a frustrated breath and slid out of bed. Once he and Ginny were ready, they left the Gryffindor Common Room to pick up Harry and Hermione in the Head's common room.

"Good morning!" greeted Rowena when they arrived at the portrait.

"Good morning to you too," smiled Ginny as she knocked on the portrait frame.

After a moment, the portrait opened and Harry and Hermione came walking out. The four friends made their way to the Great Hall. As they started to pile food on their plates, Hermione noticed that Harry was throwing Ron strange looks, as if he were expecting him to do something. "Harry you alright?" she asked curiously.

Harry threw one last glance at Ron before turning his attention to Hermione, "yeah, I'm fine why do you ask?"

"Never mind, I'm probably just imagining things," answered Hermione shaking it off with a shrug.

Harry waited until Hermione was focused on her breakfast and talking to Ginny about Ginny's boyfriend before he looked at Ron again. Ron was frowning at Harry, clearly trying to send him the message not to bring up their discussion from the previous night. Harry huffed, and tore his eyes away from Ron's, he did not want to let Ron get away without talking to Dumbledore, but he also didn't want to break his promise about not bringing it up in front of Hermione.

To avoid making Hermione suspicious or angering Ron, Harry began scanning the room to occupy his attention. Up at the professors table, McGonagall was discussing something with Dumbledore that appeared to be very serious. Snape was sneering at the students, he appeared to be angrier than Harry had ever seen him, and Harry had seen him frighteningly furious. The students all seemed to be their usual happy, carefree selves. Or not, Harry's examination of the room came to a halt when his eyes fell upon the Slytherin table; it was the only table in the room that did not seem to be in a good mood. Indeed, ever since Slytherin lost the quidditch game after Malfoy had been imprisoned his entire house had lost their swagger. He had been their prince, the very definition of what it was to be a Slytherin, and without him, they felt lost, though none of them would ever admit it.

Zabini had clearly been attempting to fill Malfoy's shoes as the most popular Slytherin. However, even those who had absolutely hated Malfoy had to admit that he had something that they could not quite place. He had an air of confidence and charm that simply could not be taught, and although he mostly used his confidence to hurt everyone who crossed his path, the school was clearly not the same without him.

Harry's eyes slid over to the end of the Slytherin table, and if he didn't hate her so much, he would have felt sorry for her. Pansy Parkinson was sitting all alone at the end, separated from the rest of her house and not even attempting to eat, from the looks of it, she had not eaten for quite a while, because she was becoming freakishly thin. Her head was hanging down, so her hair was covering her face, but Harry was positive that she was crying. But before he had time to ponder the inner workings of Pansy's mind, a rush of wings drew his attention away from her and turned it towards the sky where hundreds of owls were delivering the morning's mail.

Harry scanned the sea of feathers for the snowy white form of Hedwig, but she was nowhere to be seen. He hadn't been expecting any mail anyway; he just thought she may decide to come for a visit. Then, as the last owls entered the Great Hall, a shrill and horrified scream sounded from across the room. All conversation in the Hall ceased as every head turned towards the source of the scream, Pansy Parkinson. But Pansy was completely oblivious to the fact that every eye was on her, because she was staring at the front page of the Daily Prophet. Even from two tables away Harry could tell that she was breathing heavily, and looking horrified.

Hermione's attention was drawn away from Pansy when the owl delivering her copy of the Daily Prophet pecked at her. "Oww," she huffed with annoyance as she hastily paid the owl and unrolled the newspaper. When she saw the headline, she too gave a shout, she didn't scream nearly as loud as Pansy, but it was enough to bring everyone's attention to her. Hermione was whiter than a ghost and her breath was quick and uneven.

"Hermione, what is it?" questioned Ron attempting to ease the Daily Prophet away from her. Hermione kept tight hold of the paper as she ripped it away from Ron's hands, not letting anyone other than herself read the headline. In the center of the page was a picture of Draco, he was in a cell surrounded by dementors, and he seemed absolutely lifeless. Although this was a wizarding photograph, it would not have looked entirely out of place amongst a group muggle photos because he was not moving at all. He was sitting against the wall, his head hanging limply on his shoulder. His usually perfect platinum blonde hair appeared greasy; it was slightly longer than Hermione remembered, so that it was covering his eyes, which were closed. However, the photograph was not what disturbed Hermione the most. She frowned and bit her lip as she read the article beneath the headline which had caused both her and Pansy to scream.

**_Draco Malfoy to Receive Dementor's Kiss_**

_In a decision made Monday regarding the fate of Draco Malfoy, it was unanimously agreed upon by the members of the Committee of Magical Law Enforcement that Malfoy should receive the Dementor's Kiss. This decision was made as a result of the Committee's desire to show other members of the wizarding community the severity and danger of following He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. _

_Draco Malfoy was discovered to be one of You-Know-Who's followers, a Death Eater, one month ago, and has been locked in a high security cell in Azkaban ever since. He is the son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, a formerly prominent pure-blooded family. Lucius Malfoy was also discovered to be a member of You-Know-Who's followers. At the time of young Mr. Malfoy's capture, the Magical Law Enforcement team had been nearing the end of an investigation against Lucius that had been going on since August, when he somehow escaped from St. Mungo's, using Dark magic. The investigation would have successfully proven that as a Death Eater, he had been a leader of several tortures and killings of both muggles, and members of the wizarding world. It is also believed that he was one of You-Know-Who's most trusted followers, and therefore he could have been persuaded to reveal the names of nearly all of the current Death Eaters. However, the entire investigation has been ruined due to the fact that Lucius was murdered by his son Draco on the night of his capture. _

_Lucius' murder was a key factor in the decision to administer the Kiss to Draco, in addition to the testimony of Hermione Granger, a muggle-born witch and Head Girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Granger was witness to young Malfoy's initiation. Malfoy was Head Boy at Hogwarts, and the fact that Granger, and the students at the school were not harmed by him is truly surprising. The Ministry feels that this is a result of the fact that Albus Dumbledore is the Headmaster, and is the one wizard whom all dark witches and wizards fear. Even so, the students attending Hogwarts, as well as their family and friends are surely feeling much safer now._

_The Dementor's Kiss ceremony will take place at 12 noon today at the Ministry of Magic. No spectators are allowed. The Ministry wishes to express their condolences to all families who have been affected by You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. And it hopes that actions such as these will bring hope to community that one day, we will be freed from the fear of despicable people such as You-Know-Who, and the Malfoy family._

"My God," breathed Hermione when she had finished with the article.

"What is it?" asked Ginny, her voice filled with worry.

Hermione stared into space, not really seeing anything, she unconsciously handed the paper to Ginny who held it out for her, Harry and Ron to read. "Bloody Hell!" she breathed when she read the headline. As her friends were reading, Hermione was lost in thought. She couldn't believe that they were going to give the dementors kiss to Draco. She had felt that he deserved a lifetime in Azkaban, but to have his soul sucked out? That was a fate worse than death. Yes he had become a Death Eater, and yes he had lied to her, but there was no evidence that he had actually hurt anyone except Lucius, and Lucius hadn't exactly been a saint himself. So did he really deserve the kiss? In her heart Hermione thought not, but is didn't matter because there was nothing she could do about it now.

By now word of the article had spread throughout the Hall, and everyone was discussing the ceremony. No one could quite believe it was true. It was far too difficult for most of the school to believe that someone who they had known, one who had been a very high profile member of the student body could possibly have really been a Death Eater. Plus, most felt that he had become more tolerable especially this year when he had been Head Boy. Most of the students seemed lost, and they were looking around as if hoping to find an explanation. Many were eyeing Hermione discreetly because she had been mentioned in the article.

"I can't believe it!" whispered Ginny. She eyed Hermione uncertainly, "what do you think about this?"

Hermione shook her head, still staring without seeing, "no, he doesn't deserve that, even after all he's done, he doesn't deserve that." Her three friends exchanged looks, Harry's brows furrowed at Ron, silently demanding him to go to Dumbledore. Ron pursed his lips and his eyes widened, ordering Harry not to say anything. Harry grit his teeth and frowned even more deeply at Ron, but their silent argument was interrupted by Hermione's next words. She spoke barely above a whisper, and she didn't seem to be aware of the presence of the rest of the school around her, "It's all my fault."

The two boys stared at her in shock, and Ginny gaped at her. "No!" Ginny cried, "no Hermione, how can you even think that for a minute!"

Finally Hermione's eyes focused on the other three, a slight frown on her lips, "It says so right here." She pointed to the section of the article that named her testimony as a key factor to the Ministry's decision.

"Hermione!" Ron draped his arm around Hermione's shoulders and placed a light kiss on her cheek, "he chose that life; it's his fault, not yours!" He kissed her cheek again. She looked at him, attempting to smile, but what little smile she did make definitely did not stretch to her eyes. Her chocolate brown eyes were filled with a deep sadness, the sadness of a lost love, of guilt for being the one to imprison the man who had brought such love to her heart, and of regret for ever allowing herself to fall for him in the first place.

'Why couldn't I have just stayed away from him! I could have saved myself all this trouble if I had just listened to my friends and my own conscience and ignored my attraction towards him. Of all the people in the world why did I have to fall for Draco Malfoy!' Yet as she waged this inner battle with herself looking into Ron's concerned gaze, she knew exactly why she had fallen for Draco. She closed her eyes, and instantly saw his flawless face swimming in front of her. The emotion those dark silvery eyes disclosed to her, the tingling he had made her feel with every gaze, every touch, every kiss; that was why. She had never felt any of those feelings with Ron, not even when they kissed, but Ron was safe, Ron was secure, with Ron she knew she would never be hurt. But deep down she also knew that with Ron, she would never again be in love. 'How could he have betrayed me like this?' she wondered, her thoughts returning to Draco as she reread the headline.

Suddenly, all noise in the Hall went dead. Hermione looked to the professors table and saw that professor Dumbledore had risen and was about to address the school. Even from their seats, the students could tell that he looked incredibly weary. "Well," he began in a weak voice that surprised just about everyone in the room. "It seems as if everyone has heard about the news by now. It disappoints and saddens me a great deal to see a young man with so much potential, such as Draco Malfoy doomed to such a fate. However, it was his choices which brought on this fate. May this be a warning and a lesson to everyone, of the dangers of allying yourself with darkness and evil. Following such a path will only lead you to pain and suffering." Dumbledore stopped, his speech left the room silent and heavy. "Now, I would like you all to please go onto your classes and do your best to concentrate on your work and not on situations that are beyond your control. Thank you." He seemed to be looking at Hermione specifically when he said the last part. It was as if he knew she blamed herself at least partially for Draco's tragic fate.

Once Dumbledore stopped, there was a scraping of chairs and silverware as the students began to slowly pile out of the Great Hall. There was little conversation as most people were still too stunned to speak. Ron began to follow Ginny and Hermione out of the Great Hall, but he was stopped by someone grabbing his robes and nearly causing him to topple over. "What gives?" shouted Ron with annoyance before spinning around and discovering that it was Harry who had stopped him.

"Ron" whispered Harry furiously, "we have to tell Dumbledore now!"

Ron didn't speak, he just stamped his foot and looked towards the floor, clearly not intending on speaking to Dumbledore.

Harry roughly shoved Ron's shoulder "Ron, what's wrong with you! He's going to be worse than dead in less than four hours! You're the one who heard the conversation; you have to be the one to tell Dumbledore!" Harry could not believe the way Ron was acting, if it were up to Harry, he would have rushed up to Dumbledore as soon as he had read the article. He could not believe his best friend was being so stubborn and immature. "Come on!" Harry dragged Ron by the robes passed all the other students and up to the professors table. He didn't see Dumbledore, so they walked up to professor McGonagall instead.

"Can I help you gentleman?" she asked stiffly.

"We need to speak to professor Dumbledore! It's urgent," answered Harry.

"Well I'm very sorry, but professor Dumbledore just left. He is required to attend the ceremony, and he needs to help the Minister make the appropriate preparations.

Ron frowned, and looked uneasy, and Harry stared at her wide-eyed and speechless. "But, bu . . ." Harry stuttered.

Professor McGonagall frowned, "now please, go on to your class." She turned on her heel, and swept out of the room, her robes flowng out behind her.

Harry and Ron slowly shuffled out of the Great Hall towards the dungeons for their potions class.

Ron, who was certainly in no mood to return to the dungeons after what had happened the night before leaned over and muttered to Harry "What are we going to do?"

"Well we're gonna have to find a way to get there and stop it!" answered Harry as the two sped up. "Let's try to think of a way during potions, and then we can discuss it after."

"But Harry," argued Ron, "Even if we do get there in time, they're never going to believe us, we have no proof! They'll think this is just another wild story!"

"Well we can't just sit here doing nothing! We've got to at least try!" demanded Harry.

Ron opened his mouth to argue, but before he could they arrived at Snape's classroom, and he knew it was useless to argue with Harry when he was like this. They arrived just as the bell rang, and they sat on either side of Hermione.

"What happened to you two?" she whispered harshly as Snape magicked the instructions for the day's potion on the blackboard.

"Never mind", answered Ron, doing his best to ignore Hermione's skeptical gaze.

"Now!" barked professor Snape. "For today's assignment you will brew a sleeping drought. You will work with partners, whom I will choose for you. Snape began pairing students, much to the student's dismay, he was pairing Slytherins with Gryffindors, so they knew that they were not going to like their partners. "Bulstrode, you shall work with Granger. Goyle with Weasley, and Parkinson, you're with Potter." Hermione and Ron groaned, but Harry suddenly had an idea. He quickly gathered his belongings and without a word of complaint, moved over to sit next to Pansy.

Pansy was clearly pissed, and she did not seem to have the ability to concentrate, Harry didn't even make a fuss when she made no effort to help him prepare the ingredients. They were a good halfway into making their potion before either of them spoke. Harry was carefully watching the potion bubble, not even caring that it looked more swamp brown than forest green as it was supposed to. He glanced upward to make sure that Snape was nowhere near him. And he didn't even have time to feel sorry for Neville when he saw Snape criticizing his potion, though Harry felt that Neville's partner Crabbe was probably just as much to blame for the horrendous mixture as Neville was. Harry eyed Pansy, who was staring at the desk with her hair covering her face. "Pretty upset about that article aren't you?" he began, hoping that she would respond to him in some way.

Pansy glared at him furiously, "fuck off Potter!" she spat in a threatening whisper.

Harry smiled to himself, her anger made him think that his plan may actually work. "Must be pretty horrible for him, having his soul sucked out and all," he continued as nonchalantly as possible.

Pansy's face contorted into a ferocious glare, "I told you to shut the fuck up Potter!" she was having trouble keeping her voice down and the people around them glanced up with mild curiosity.

Harry grinned, and spoke in a barely audible whisper, "Imagine, suffering a fate like that, when you're completely innocent." Harry viewed Pansy out of the corner of his eye, and wore a cunning grin on his face.

At first she opened her mouth wide to retort, but as the meaning of his words sunk in, her eyes widened in shock, "what are you talking about Potter?" she spat, her eyes narrowed.

Harry ignored the question "must be killing you inside to know that you're responsible for his current predicament. Imagine what it's going to be like after twelve o' clock when it happens. And you will never be able to see him again, not even to visit him in prison." He saw Pansy's reaction and immediately knew that he had hit a particularly sensitive nerve.

Pansy looked straight ahead fighting a losing battle against her tears, "how in the hell do you know about that?" she demanded through gritted teeth.

"That's not important, what really matters is, what are you going to do about it," said Harry forcefully, completely ignoring the bubbling potion in front of him.

"There's nothing I can do Potter! So just leave me alone!" Pansy was starting to break down again; the guilt was clearly killing her.

"What if you could get there, would you tell the Ministry the truth?" Harry asked, ignoring the potion completely and staring at Pansy.

Pansy turned looking stunned and confused at Harry, she opened her mouth a couple times, but no words came out.

"Would you be willing to tell the truth and save him or would you rather live with the guilt for all the rest of your miserable and pathetic life?" asked Harry, desperately hoping for the right answer.

"I can't . . . .I can't . . . but there's no way to get there anyway, so just forget it and leave me alone," sobbed Pansy, shoving Harry forcefully away.

"There is a way, but you have to trust me," said Harry hopefully, ignoring the shove.

"Yeah right, trust a Gryffindor like you, forget it Potter," huffed Pansy.

"Forget about ever seeing Malfoy again then, and get ready to live with a lifetime of pain and guilt knowing it's your fault he's gone." Harry stopped, allowing the words to sink in, then he continued. "Look, if you really want to save him, meet me outside the Founder's Portrait at 11 o' clock."

Pansy sneered, but did not answer yes or no, she just went back to sulking and staring that the desk in front of her.

"Potter what have you been doing the past 10 minutes?" growled Snape loud enough to draw the classes attention.

"Err, nothing," muttered Harry.

"That, Mr. Potter, is obvious," scowled Snape as he looked down upon the now black gooey potion which was supposed to have turned light blue and runny.

Harry frowned at the potion, he had entirely forgotten to decrease the temperature while he had been talking to Pansy.

"Don't even bother turning in a sample Mr. Potter, I already know what mark you shall be receiving. The rest of you bring your samples up to my desk now."

"What happened with your potion Harry?" asked Hermione reprimanding.

"I forgot about it while I was talking to Pansy," answered Harry honestly.

"What!" both Ron and Hermione cried.

"I'll tell you about it after class," said Harry. His two friends were still looking at him as if he was mad, but Hermione shrugged and turned to head off to arithmancy. Once she had turned around, Harry grabbed a hold of Ron's robes tight and began pulling him through the halls.

"Umm, Harry," protested Ron, "the divination tower is that way," he pointed away from where they were headed.

"We're skiving off, this is far more important that that stupid class," answered Harry determinedly.

Ron stopped fighting Harry, and brightened at the idea of skipping divination, "so where are we going then?"

"My common room," said Harry shortly.

Ron's spirits dampened, "what's so important to do there?"

"We're going to have a talk."

Ron had a feeling he wasn't going to enjoy this conversation, and suddenly the idea of going to divination sounded much more appealing. The boys arrived at the portrait and Harry gave Helga the password, he yanked Ron inside, and forced him to sit on the couch. "I have a plan."

"What?" cried Ron.

"To save Malfoy, I have a plan, and we need to know what we're going to do if she decides to go along with it. I'm pretty sure she will cause she's really making herself crazy over it. So now we have to plan what we're going to do,"

"Do you realize what you just said? Why are we going to save Malfoy? He's just a pathetic ferret," Ron huffed. He was really hating the idea of coming to Malfoy's rescue, but one look at Harry's stern expression told him that even if he didn't agree, Harry would do whatever he was planning anyway, so there was no point in arguing. "Alright fine, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to go to the ceremony, and Parkinson is going to confess," answered Harry.

"What!" shouted Ron.

"I told her to meet me here at 11, and then we're all going to go to the ceremony and make sure she confesses." Harry stopped and looked Ron square and the eye. "And we have to tell Hermione."

Ron glared at Harry stubbornly.

"She has a right to know Ron! And she's going to notice that we're not around after we go anyway. She would want to come, you know that."

Ron huffed, but didn't reply. He did know that Hermione would want to know Malfoy was innocent, that was why he didn't want to tell her, he was afraid of what she would do once she found out.

Harry and Ron sat around pretty much the rest of the period, Harry was going over what they were going to do once they got to the Ministry, they would need to find where the ceremony was taking place. Harry thought they would first look in the basement where he had had his trial fifth year, that was where they seemed to like to do important business regarding Dark witches and wizards, from what Hermione had said, it was the same place they had held Malfoy's trial.

As the end of the period neared, Harry took to pacing in front of the fireplace. He looked inside a smooth black jar on the mantle and was pleased to find that it was filled with floo powder. 'Good,' he thought, 'that's how we'll get there then.'

With five minutes until the end of the period, Harry decided they should go get Hermione at her arithmancy class. That way they could tell her everything before Pansy, hopefully, arrived at the Founder's portrait. Harry led the way through the halls. Ron followed with a pissed off look on his face, he hadn't spoken the entire time he and Harry were in the common room. The bell rang as they were walking through the arithmancy hall, and they saw Hermione exit. "Hermione!" called Harry loudly.

Hermione turned towards the sound of her name and looked at the boys curiously, "did divination get out early or something?" she asked.

"No, we skipped," answered Harry in a rush, they only had five minutes before 11, and Harry was not going to risk missing Pansy.

"Harry! Ron! You can't go off skipping class for no reason even if it is divination," Hermione reprimanded in a manner that suggested she was preparing to give them a long lecture.

"We had good reason!" said Harry as he began to drag her back to the common room.

Hermione looked with confusion at Ron, who was stony faced and silent. "What's going on?" she demanded.

"We'll tell you all about it back at the common room."

"But Harry we have Herbology!" protested Hermione.

"We're going to miss it."

"No! I will not . . ." Hermione abruptly stopped, planted her feet in the ground and refused to move.

"Yes you will, it's about Malfoy." Harry turned to look at her seriously then continued dragging her even faster through the halls.

Hermione's eyes went wide but her mouth went silent. When they finally arrived at the portrait, she demanded, "what is going on?"

Harry looked to Ron, but Ron was looking determined not to speak at all. His lips were pursed and he wasn't looking at either his best friend or his girlfriend. Harry made a very frustrated noise and spoke, "last night Ron heard Parkinson and Zabini arguing, about Malfoy. And today Pansy confirmed what Ron heard."

Hermione frowned angrily, she didn't want to think about Draco anymore, "and what was that exactly?"

"He's innocent Hermione, he really was under the imperius curse the whole time, Parkinson and Zabini are the real Death Eaters." He said softly.

Hermione went white, and she could feel herself shaking slightly, she stuttered for a moment before she was able to speak, "are . . . are you sure?"

"Positive," Harry then began telling Hermione everything.

"He's innocent," Hermione said quietly when Harry was finished. She couldn't believe her ears, that was exactly what she had wanted, but her knowing he was innocent didn't help him any. "He's still going to die," she realized aloud.

"Not if we can stop them," said Harry.

"What?" whispered Hermione with disbelief.

But Harry didn't answer; he was anxiously scanning the hall, though Hermione did not know what he was looking for.

"Harry what!" Hermione repeated, forcing him to look at her.

"We're going to the ceremony, we're going to stop it and save him."

"Harry that's crazy, no one's going to believe us," whispered Hermione dispiritedly.

"Exactly!" said Ron, finally breaking his silence, "so there's no point in going, even Hermione thinks so."

"I didn't say that Ron!" cried Hermione, "We should go; I was just saying that they're not going to believe us."

Ron frowned at Hermione and she glared back at him.

But Harry's attention was elsewhere, "Even if they don't believe us, they might just believe her."

Hermione turned to give Harry a confused look, when her eyes fell upon Pansy Parkinson. Hermione glared ferociously at Pansy. "What is _she_doing here?" spat Hermione viciously.

"She's coming with us, and she's going to confess," Harry answered, though he seemed to be giving Pansy an order more than he was answering Hermione's question. "So, let's go, we don't have a lot of time."

Pansy had not spoken, and she was sending guarded threatening looks at the three Gryffindors, but nevertheless, she followed Harry into the Head's common room. "Disgusting," she muttered when she saw the room decorated entirely in red and gold.

The three Gryffindors ignored her, and Harry led them to the fireplace. He lifted the jar with the floo powder, and held it out for each person to take a pinch. Harry made Pansy go first so he could assure that she did indeed go. He then made Ron go for the same reason, he went third, and Hermione arrived fourth.

"Now to stop the ceremony!" declared Harry quietly once they had all safely arrived in the main entrance of the Ministry of Magic. There were so many people milling about that no one even gave the group of students a second look. Still, Harry didn't want to take any chances that they might draw attention to themselves, so instead of taking the lift down to the basement, they took the stairs. Harry flew down, the other three racing just to keep up with him.

Harry glanced around quickly once they reached the level he thought was right, he wasn't sure where exactly the ceremony was taking place. Come on, we have to find the right room. Harry and Hermione both charged to the two closest doors, opened them, but found the room's empty. Pansy and Ron followed their progress. Ron made no effort to help, and Pansy looked conflicted between her instinct to make things more difficult for Gryffindors, and her desperate need to help Draco.

- - - - - - - - -

The minutes were quickly ticking down until 12 o'clock. Dumbledore stood next to the Minister of Magic. He sighed wearily; he was not at all looking forward to seeing Draco receive the dementors kiss. Dumbledore was always one to believe that it mattered not what family one was born to, that one's family did not determine a person's fate. For a while Mr. Malfoy seemed to be proving Dumbledore's view, he truly seemed to have escaped the fate predetermined by his family. But he had not been able to free himself from it; it appeared as if the lure of power and darkness was too strong for Draco to overcome. Dumbledore sighed again.

"It has to be done Albus," said the Minister quietly, correctly interpreting Dumbledore's sighs.

Dumbledore frowned, suddenly looking very stern, he did not agree that it had to be done. He felt that Draco deserved a lifetime sentence in Azkaban, but he did not feel the evidence supported the sentence he received.

Draco himself was in a side room being held captive by two dementors. He was completely lifeless except for the labored rise and fall of his chest. He was aware of what was about to happen, but that was not what brought the lifelessness to him. The power of the dementors didn't affect him nearly as much as he affected himself. He was the one who made himself lifeless, because he had given up on himself. He had given up the will to live, the will to fight, he had given up hope.

The dementors were growing eager, they did not like waiting to administer the kiss. Both hooded creatures were breathing more and more heavily, coming dangerously close to sucking out Draco's soul right then and there. The action caused Draco to relive his worst memories. He had been reliving them so often every second of every day since he had been in Azkaban that after a week they had all passed through him in a painful and depressing blur. But at this moment, one memory stood our particularly clearly, and it was so painful to deal with that it made Draco want to claw his way through his skull to remove the memory from his mind.

He was recalling the night in the Hog's Head last year. It was as if he were experiencing all the pain all over again. He could feel his skin burning with pain as if he was under the cruciatus curse again. He also experienced the horror of witnessing Lucius torturing Hermione. Then finally and most painfully, he recalled what he felt when Lucius cast the frozen death spell on him. In addition to the pain of the spell, he also recalled with intense clarity the fear he felt when he thought that the curse could possibly hit Hermione. The sensation that his blood was turning to ice ran through him, and he faded in an out of consciousness. He slumped down on the ground, wishing it would all end right then. But before his body completely shut down, the door leading to the main chamber opened, and the dementors lifted him and dragged him to the center of the room.

Many of the chamber's occupants were a bit surprised that Draco was so weak. Usually after being in Azkaban, when a prisoner was delivered to the court they regained some of their strength, but he appeared to be growing steadily weaker. Many shuddered to think of the horrors he must be reliving that would have the dementors affect him so violently. The dementors dropped him unceremoniously on the ground, allowing the Head of Magical Law Enforcement to begin the ceremony. From somewhere above the chamber, a loud clock had begun to chime the twelfth hour, it was time.

- - - - - - - - -

In the distance, as if it were sounding from high above them, they heard a booming clock striking 12 o'clock. There was a jolt that ran through Hermione's veins, she had already opened three doors, and was thinking they might be too late when she finally opened a door and heard voices inside. "Guys! She yelled in a whisper. She ran into the room, they were up in the empty balcony, but down below she saw a large gathering of adults. She scanned the room to see what was going on, and in the center she saw it. A man was laying on his back on the stone floor, a man with the unmistakable blonde hair that belonged to Draco Malfoy.

Hermione panicked, there was a dementor gliding next to him. It was slowly lowering its face to administer the Kiss. Hermione instinctively did the first thing that came to her mind. She whipped out her wand and shouted "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

She wasn't the only one either, three silvery animals charged at the dementor, sweeping it away. Hermione glanced to her side and saw that Harry, and surprisingly enough, Ron had also drawn their wands and cast the patronus charm.

Down in the lower level of the chamber, a room full of shocked Ministry officials and Dumbledore gasped in surprise at the appearance of the partonus's. Their eyes followed the silvery animals as they returned to their creators, and they were even more stunned to see who was responsible for interrupting the ceremony.

"What is the meaning of this!" roared the Minister of Magic. "Explain yourselves!" he ordered Hermione, Harry, and Ron, who were all still pointing their wands at the dementor. Pansy was standing next to them, she didn't even have time to be astounded that they had all just produced corporeal patronus's, she was staring unblinkingly at Draco's body. He was lying face up, and from the balcony where they were standing, Pansy couldn't tell if he was alive or not, she was too far away to tell if he was breathing.

"Minister," cried Hermione "you see . . ."

But she was interrupted by the forceful and solemn voice of professor Dumbledore, "Perhaps, Miss Granger, you and the others should come down here and explain what this is all about."

Hermione closed her mouth, and the group traipsed down to the lower level where the Ministry witches and wizards were waiting, with fury in their eyes. Pansy followed a step or two behind the others, for a moment unable to tear her eyes away from Draco, "Oh please be alive Draco," she whispered to herself in a choked voice, a tear falling down her cheek.

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I hope you all liked this chapter, and I'm doing my best to get the next one posted as fast as possible. As always, I love hearing what you all think, so please submit a review. Thanks a lot! 


	22. Chapter 22: Grief and Forgiveness

**Disclaimer: **Nope I still don't own Harry Potter

**A/N: **Hehehehehe I know I'm evil. I would like to thank you all for patiently awaiting this update. Well, since everyone pleaded with me (some a few threatened to hurt me lol) I am posting the next chapter now. I hope no one went crazy while waiting for it, and that you all like this chapter. A big thank you to everyone who reviewed!

_cute lil girl_ – lol you don't sound like a loser at all. I'm glad that you want to read this chapter so much! Thanks for the review!  
_CB_** – **lol it's so much fun to torture everyone with cliffhangers, I just can't help myself! Thanks for the review!  
_unknown, I wish your heart was mine, Fire Angel, Twistedtwin, Sunflower18, zuvalupa, __Chantal J,_ Melia – Thanks for the reviews! Hope you like this chapters!  
_jesska-14_ – lol yup, you were right _applause!_ Your new theory is wonderful as well . . . . I never really bought all that 'happily ever after' stuff myself . . . . . ;o)  
_Sayaku-chan_ – _looks warily at the insane laughter _lol thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear that you liked it, and I hope you like this chapter too!  
_dark girl_ – thank you very much, I'm flattered that you feel my fic is one of the few worthy enough to be praised. I hope you like this chapter (although it's not the last one ;o) )  
_scorpiogrrll_ – until you mentioned it I never thought that it looked like it was turning into a RW/HG and DM/PP fic, although after I read your review, I thought about it and now I see your point. However I can absolutely assure you that this is still a DM/HG fic (and after this chapter I think you'll see why.) Anyway, thanks for the review!  
_anIme-prYncess_ – this chapter will give you an idea of what happens to Pansy, so I'll let you read it rather than tell you. Thanks for the review!  
_Buck-A-Beak_ – I know I hate it when writers just stop in the middle of an awesome story, so that you never know the end. But no worries, I have spent way too much time and energy on this fic to quit now, especially when I think the end is finally in sight. Thanks for the review!_  
Anonymous-139_ – lol just b r e a t h e hehehe. Thanks for the review, and I hope the update came quick enough!  
_Dumdumditz23_ – heheheh evil me. I admit I did wait to update until I read the entire review lol I hope the update came fast enough for you anyway, and thank you for the review!  
_Lee_ – yes, yes I did have to do it. This chapter will show a bit how Hermione feels about everything, so I hope you like it, and thanks for the review!  
_elektra30_ – thank you very much :o) I actually debated for quite a while ending the chapter at the Expecto Patronum part, but in the end, decided on this way instead. I'm glad you like the suspense it created. I hope you like this chapter too, and as always, thanks for the review!

Now, for your reading pleasure . . . .chapter 22!

* * *

**Chapter 22: Grief and Forgiveness**

"Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought!" exclaimed the Minister. "Harry Potter? In league with You-Know-Who! This is a complete outrage!"

"Sir, I'm not . . ." interrupted Harry, attempting to explain their actions.

"QUIET!" roared the Minister, his face reddening. His eyes were narrowed and his fists her balled in rage, he looked like he was about to explode.

"If I may," interjected Dumbledore calmly, stepping up beside the Minister. The Minister sputtered wildly in protest, but he was not about to argue with Dumbledore. "Now," continued Dumbledore sternly addressing his students, "someone please explain what you are all doing here."

Harry opened his mouth to explain but the disappointment in Dumbledore's eyes and the tone of his voice brought a lump to his throat that rendered him unable to speak. Dumbledore gazed at him expectantly, the usual twinkle gone from his light blue eyes; instead, they seemed to be dimmed with sadness.

"Please sir, there's been a mistake," interrupted Hermione desperately. She paused as all eyes turned to her. "We've all made a mistake," she said quietly, her eyes turning towards the ground.

Dumbledore sighed, "Miss Granger, I understand that you may feel regretful about this situation, but there is nothing that can be done. You testified the truth, and the Ministry has made its decision." Dumbledore paused and viewed his students solemnly noticing for the first time that Pansy was there. He frowned slightly, wondering why she was with a group of Gryffindors, but he didn't concern himself with that matter right then. "Now, all of you will wait outside and we shall all return to the school once the ceremony is complete."

A group of witches and wizards from the Ministry attempted to escort the students out of the room, but Pansy and Ron were the only one's who did not protest.

"No!" shouted Hermione furiously "Draco was telling the truth! He's innocent!"

All struggling stopped and the Ministry witches and wizards, the Minister and Dumbledore all stared at her shocked.

"Preposterous!" exclaimed the Minister, "you yourself testified that he was lying Miss! Do you now mean to tell us that it was you who was lying under oath? That is a very serious crime Miss, as I'm sure you are aware."

"No! I was not lying!" cried Hermione.

"Well please explain to me what's going on. You each have conflicting stories, and now you claim that neither of you are lying, how can that possibly be the case?" challenged the Minister with disbelief clear in his tone.

Hermione took some deep breaths, willing herself not to break down, "Because," she closed her eyes and took a deep relaxing breath, feeling much braver now that they were listening, "I_thought_ he was lying, and that I was telling the truth, but this morning I found out that I was wrong."

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore said in a heavy and regretful voice, "I understand that given your past . . . relations, with Mr. Malfoy that it is painful to stand by whilst he goes through this, but one cannot change the truth, no matter how difficult it is to accept."

Hermione stared at Dumbledore astounded and hurt that he could possibly think that she was lying. As the Ministry officials again attempted to remove the students from the room, Hermione struggled and shouted "NO!"

The witch who was removing Pansy left her alone and attempted to help subdue Hermione. "DRACO!" shouted Hermione desperately, kicking and struggling against the adults. The rest of the students were struggling, but even they were surprised at how violently Hermione was protesting being led away. The officials had gotten the group to the door when a small quiet voice finally spoke up.

"She's telling the truth."

Everyone stopped moving and turned to the voice. Pansy stood in the middle of the room, forgotten and alone with her head to the floor.

"Miss Parkinson, explain yourself," demanded Dumbledore firmly.

If she hadn't spoken, no one would have been able to tell whether or not she had heard Dumbledore. Her face remained directed at the floor, her hair hanging down, preventing anyone from seeing her face. Her shoulders were hunched and limp, and she had lost all air of pride and haughtiness. "Granger is telling the truth. Draco was under the imperius curse the entire time. I know, I was there when the Dark Lord put the curse on him."

"Impossible!" objected the Minister, "That would mean that you would have to be a Death Eater!"

At first Pansy made no response other than to suck in a quick breath of air. Then after a moment she looked longingly at Draco's seemingly lifeless body, and then she moved her right hand to the left sleeve of her robes. She exhaled slowly and lifted the sleeve to reveal a blood red Dark Mark. There were a few stunned cries among the Ministry officials, but most just gasped and stared. Once reality hit, the Minister ordered "seize her!" and two Ministry wizards rushed forward and grabbed Pansy by the arms. One reached into the pocket of her robes and confiscated her wand, and handed it to the Minister.

Pansy made absolutely no protest or struggle, and it was only then that some realized that she was silently crying.

"Incarcerous!" Thick ropes snaked their way around Pansy's body preventing her from moving in case she changed her mind and decided to fight back. The Ministry wizards backed away as Dumbledore approached. His tone was angry and demanding, much unlike the way he normally spoke, "Miss Parkinson, if you wish to have any hope of saving yourself and or Mr. Malfoy from very terrible fates, then I suggest you tell us everything you know about this."

Pansy had by now stopped crying, her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was devoid of any emotion. She had the haunting look of death about her, as if her soul had died right in front of them. Everyone leaned in, listening intently, eager to hear her story.

"It all started this summer when the Dark Lord broke Lucius out of St Mungo's. They were both furious at Draco for refusing to join the Death Eaters, and Lucius wanted revenge on the mudblood for corrupting Draco and helping him escape his fate. Together, the Dark Lord and Lucius developed a plan to make them both pay. That's when I was invited to join, I was ecstatic about being invited early, at that point I didn't know that Draco had refused. I felt so betrayed when I was initiated and discovered that he had been too cowardly to join, I wanted him to pay for all the times he had hurt me, and I wanted the mudblood to pay for stealing him away!" Pansy's eyes momentarily locked with Hermione's, sending a cold chill down her spine.

"I was initiated at the end of August, right before school started. And I wasn't the only one, the Dark Lord also recruited Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini early, we were all to be part of the plan because we were Draco's friends."

"It wasn't easy acting as if everything was normal between us, because we all felt betrayed by him. But Blaise had the hardest job, he told Draco that I was a Death Eater, and that he was expected to join on New Year's but he didn't want to. He told Draco that we knew he had escaped, and Blaise asked Draco to help him escape as well. Draco agreed because he trusted Blaise."

"So Blaise lured Draco to a meeting and the Dark Lord put the curse on him. As far as I had been told, that was where the plan ended. Draco was supposed to come to his senses so the curse could be removed. But the stubborn bastard never listened to reason, so the curse was never lifted. Yet the Dark Lord went ahead with the rest of Lucius' plan anyway. Lucius still hadn't gotten his revenge on her!" Pansy paused and lifted her head, this time locking her eyes with Hermione's and keeping them there. The look of pure venom and hatred that Pansy gave her caused Hermione to cringe and defiantly hold her breath.

Pansy continued, never breaking eye contact with Hermione, not even to blink. "The Dark Lord forced Draco to bring Granger to him during a gathering of the Death Eaters. That was when the Dark Lord finally gave Draco the Mark. Everything was going according to plan. But then Lucius tortured the mudblood one last time before she was to die. Draco finally snapped out of the curse when Lucius crucioed Granger. That was why Draco killed him. Then Dumbledore, Potter and Weasley showed up and Draco didn't have the common sense to apparate away with the rest of us. The idiot was more concerned with the pathetic mudblood than himself!" Pansy screamed the last sentence furiously. All the hatred and rage she had been bottling up since Draco's arrest finally blew up. She was breathing very heavily, though she was relieved to finally release all of the tension she had been keeping inside.

For a long while after Pansy stopped talking, no one moved. The Ministry officials and Dumbledore were all staring at her; many had released the other students while Pansy had been speaking. But the students attention was focused elsewhere, they were all looking at Hermione. She meanwhile was staring at the unmoving form on the ground that was Draco. She was completely unaware of everyone else around her, all she saw was him and all she could do was to hope that he would show some sign of life before she exploded.

"Perhaps," spoke Dumbledore, finally breaking the tense and heavy silence, "we should have a conference." Dumbledore, the Minister, and the top members from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement made their way out of earshot of the students. The Gryffindors watched on as the adults spoke in hushed voices, occasionally looking at either Pansy or Draco.

Hermione's attention never wavered from Draco, he looked so different than the man she remembered. His hair was long enough to fully cover his eyes, and it was terribly dirty. His robes were ragged and he was frighteningly thin. While her attention was focused on Draco, her friends didn't dare speak to her. They all jumped when they heard Hermione gasp. She was still staring at Draco, so they all turned their attention to him as well. He had finally moved! He was slowly rolling over to his side so he could push himself up into a sitting position. Hermione made a move to run to his side, but stopped almost instantly. It was as if she were afraid something would happen to him if she got to close.

Once the discussion was complete, the adults returned to the main group. "Well, now that everything is settled, it is time for you all to be returned to school."

"Wait professor!" protested Hermione desperately, "what's settled? What is going to happen to Draco?"

Hermione had finally turned away from Draco, and was glaring at Dumbledore. So neither she, nor anyone else noticed that Draco had finally opened his eyes. Upon hearing her scream his name he had forced his eyes open, not daring to believe that he was still alive. There she was, but why was she here? Why hadn't the dementor finished him off? What the hell was going on?

"Relax Miss Granger," insisted Dumbledore in a quiet voice that Draco could not hear. "The Ministry has decided to administer a dose of Veritaserum to Mr. Malfoy, and if his story tallies with Miss Parkinson's confession, he will be released and cleared of all charges."

Hermione breathed deeply with relief, "will he come back to Hogwarts?"

"That Miss Granger, is entirely his decision," responded Dumbledore. "Now if you would all please come with me, I will return you to school." Dumbledore led the group of students out of the room. But before she left, Hermione turned to look at Draco one last time. What she saw made her freeze, he was awake. Their eyes were locked, and she found herself unable to move. She could not read what he was thinking, the pools of silver seemed to be blocked, not with a harsh anger as they used to be, just guarded. As if they were afraid to open up to anyone anymore. It took a rather forceful pull from Ron to break the contact between Hermione and Draco. And once the contact was lost, all Hermione wanted was for it to return again. She wanted to run to him and make sure he was alright, to tell him that she forgave him, to beg him to forgive her. Most of all, she wanted to tell him that she still loved him.

But she didn't get to speak, not even one word, and all too soon, she was jostled out of the room and out of Draco's sight. She followed the group to the lifts that led to the main floor. Unbidden tears began trickling down her cheeks and she didn't even know why. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, and for a moment she imagined it to be Draco. But when she turned and was reminded that it was Ron, she immediately tensed. She suddenly felt as if she was cheating on Draco. She knew it was stupid to feel that way; she had been dating Ron for a month. But somehow, seeing Draco again, knowing he was alive and innocent had seemed to instantly erase the last month in Hermione's mind. 'I don't even know if he would want me again,' she thought to herself. But still, the thought of Draco and how she still wanted him changed everything.

She shrugged away from Ron, and moved around so that Harry was in between the two of them. She refused to look either of them in the eye. Ron had never been very skilled at taking hints, but he got that one loud and clear. It was exactly as he feared, she knew that Malfoy was innocent, and now she wanted him back. The thought made him absolutely furious. But for the time being, since Dumbledore was with them, he bottled his rage inside.

Once they were all inside the lift and heading upwards, Dumbledore spoke, "I want to thank you all for what you did today. You stopped us from making a grave mistake. Thank you." Harry was the only on who acknowledged Dumbledore, Hermione was too busy thinking about Draco and Ron was too busy imagining himself hexing Draco so bad he'd never recover. Dumbledore led them to the fireplaces and made sure that they all left for school safely.

They were returned directly to Dumbledore's office. Hermione had been the last to leave, so when she stepped out of the fireplace, she was greeted by the expectant faces of Ron and Harry. She didn't know why they were looking at her like that, what was she supposed to say? After a moment filled with awkward silence, Ron wordlessly stomped across the room and slammed the door behind him so hard that the portraits of the previous Headmasters rattled against the wall, which really aggravated their occupants.

Hermione gulped and frowned, she looked from the door to Harry, an uncertain expression on her face. Harry cautiously stepped forward, "want to talk about it?"

"Am I wrong Harry?" Hermione whispered after a moment's consideration. "Is it wrong for me to still want him after all that's happened? I love him Harry, I can't help it, I don't think I ever really stopped loving him. I know I should have, but I didn't and now . . ." she sighed. "Ever since the night he was arrested all I wanted was for this all to have never happened, and now it's like my prayer has been answered." Hermione stopped, and after another moment's silence she added, "I never should have started dating Ron, it was wrong to make him think that I felt for him what he feels for me. I don't blame him for hating me now."

"He doesn't hate you Hermione, and you're not wrong. You can't help the way you feel, and it's alright, Malfoy's innocent." It took Harry a lot to say what he said to Hermione. He felt as if he were abandoning Ron, but Hermione needed the support, and what he said was the truth, even if it hurt Ron, it was the truth.

"I don't even know if he would still want to be with me," mumbled Hermione dispiritedly.

"Well, he'd be a fool not to," said Harry, hoping to cheer Hermione up at least slightly. Putting his arm casually around her shoulders and giving her a friendly shake.

"Thanks Harry," she turned and gave Harry a hug.

"Anytime Hermione," he responded as he returned the gesture.

- - - - - - -

Hermione did not go to dinner that evening. Besides not wanting to be around people, the thought of attempting to have a conversation with Ron was not at all tempting. So instead she retreated to her room and took a very long bath followed by a steamy shower.

Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, Harry was bringing Ginny up to speed on everything that had happened. He made sure to keep his voice down so as not to be overheard. Ginny was absolutely flabbergasted, "He's innocent! Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Oh my god, I can't imagine what Hermione must be thinking right now."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Ron, who had been stubbornly pretending he hadn't heard the conversation burst, "You want to know what she's thinking? I'll tell you! She wants the bastard back! As soon as she found out she dumped me, and she didn't even have the guts to say it too my face, she just ignored me!"

"Ron! Calm down, you're making a scene!" Demanded Ginny harshly, for the other students were beginning to pay attention, and some of the more observant ones noticed that Hermione wasn't present.

Ron sneered, and crossed his arms over his chest, looking much like a stubborn two-year-old.

"Have you tried talking to her?" Ginny asked. The question wasn't directed at either of the boys specifically, so they both made a response.

Ron grunted as if to say 'are you serious?' But Harry spoke, "Yeah I spoke with her a bit after we got back."

"And?"

Harry cast an uneasy look at Ron. He really didn't want to be the one to tell him what Hermione had said. But after Ron snuck a curious glance at him, he convinced himself that if he tried to hide it, it would only draw out a situation that was already uncomfortable for everyone. "She still loves him. Sorry mate," he added to Ron quickly.

Ron however, slammed his fist on the table and shoved himself away. He then proceeded to storm towards the doors, but before he reached them, they opened. Four important looking wizards marched through. The conversations in the Great Hall ceased as everyone watched the newcomers curiously. A few people looked to Dumbledore for an explanation, but he offered none and remained seated. Although he did not look at all surprised to see the wizards arrive.

The students watched as the wizards marched over to the side of the room that the Slytherin table was on. Everyone assumed they were walking around the room to get to the professors table; however they stopped once they reached the middle, and faced the Slytherins. For a moment, everyone just watched them standing there; the Slytherins were looking especially confused.

Then, in one quick motion, the wizards drew their wands and pointed them at three of the students "stupefy!" The wizards cried.

Several students screamed and jumped out of their seats. But the wizards took no notice. The wizard closest to Dumbledore, who appeared to be overseeing the others, looked at him and nodded. Then without a word, the wizards levitated the three students, Blaise Zabini, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe out of the room.

Everyone watched the proceedings, and then immediately directed their confused and frightened faces to Dumbledore. This time, the Headmaster did not disappoint, he stood up and cleared his throat. "I am sorry that some of you were frightened by what just happened, but if you would just relax, I will explain."

Dumbledore waited until everyone (including Ron) was once again seated, and then he spoke. "The wizards who just took away Mr. Zabini, Mr. Goyle, and Mr. Crabbe were from the Committee of Magical Law Enforcement." Everyone could feel the tension in the room escalate after this pronouncement. "As you recall from this morning, Mr. Malfoy was to receive the Dementor's Kiss. However, I am relieved to say, the ceremony was never completed. Before the Kiss could be administered, a confession was made. I will not bore you with the details, however I would like to clarify that Mr. Malfoy is completely innocent. However, the three who were just taken from us, will not be returning. I believe that is all you need to know for now."

- - - - - - -

While everyone else was at dinner, Hermione sat on her bed alone. She had spent the remainder of the day after the ceremony putting on a strong face for everyone to see. But on the inside, the severity of what had almost happened was sinking in. The time had only served to build up a volcano of grief that was destined to erupt any moment.

How she had managed to make it through the entire afternoon without shedding a tear, not even she could say. She had put a lot of concentration and focus into ignoring Ron's attitude when she was around him. Ron was not taking her rejection well, and while she could hardly blame him, she wished he would try to understand what she was going through too. Harry was clearly trying to be supportive of them both, but that was proving to be an impossible undertaking, and was really helping no one.

So now she sat alone on her bed. Her hair was still dripping wet from the shower, but she hardly noticed. The volcano of guilt within her finally exploded. She sat there, sobbing uncontrollable tears, random memories began replaying through her mind, and suddenly everything started to make sense. Now that she knew the truth, the pieces of the puzzle were fitting neatly together.

Draco's odd behavior the weeks before the ceremony, her growing unease around him; that was when he had been under the curse, "How could I have been so stupid?" she demanded of herself. "The truth was right there in front of me the whole time. How on earth could I have not seen it!"

She threw herself face first into her pillows, grit her teeth and slammed her fists down into her bed. Then, in an outburst that was much more characteristic of Draco than of herself, with a small roar of frustration she threw her pillow across the room, without a care for what it hit. It slammed against the bookcase, and dropped to the floor, causing a few small books to fall off the shelf, and Crookshanks to scurry into the corner out of the line of fire.

She again threw herself into the bed and slammed her fist down, she was so furious with herself, and she felt so guilty. She had to apologize to him, to beg him to forgive her. But how could she, when she didn't even know if she would ever see him again.

- - - - - - - -

As he watched Hermione leave, he wanted to call to her, to retain that connection he had felt when their eyes had met. But he simply didn't have the energy, and in what seemed like an instant, she and the others had gone. Now the only people in the room were the Ministry officials, the dementors, who seemed to be furious that they had not gotten to give him the Kiss, and someone who was tightly bound, and sulking in the middle of the chamber.

Draco took a closer look at this individual through narrowed eyes, and once recognition set, he could not believe what he was seeing, "Pansy?"

Pansy's head shot up, and her desperate gaze locked with his inquisitive one. "Draco! You're okay!" She looked as if she wanted to continue talking, but she began to hyperventilate and had to focus all her energy on retaining her breath.

"Pansy what are you doing here?"

"Draco, I . . . I'm sorry . . . I just couldn't, I couldn't let them do that to you. It was driving me mad knowing you were in Azkaban all this time. I'm sorry Draco, please forgive me, I never wanted you to be hurt!"

Draco stared at her speechlessly. This was not the Pansy he was used to, the Pansy he knew was conniving, arrogant, and pitiless. But the woman bound in front of him now was anything other than those things, she was weak, and begging his forgiveness. He sneered at her; she was partially responsibly for this entire mess. She was part of the reason he had been rotting in Azkaban for a month, why he had nearly had his soul sucked out, why he no longer had Hermione by his side. How could he forgive someone who had so wretchedly betrayed and deceived him?

Pansy's sobs had begun to irritate the Ministry officials, so they removed the ropes from her and handed her over to the dementors instead. They cloaked creatures were only too happy to have a new victim to suck the happiness from. As they dragged her to the side room they had held Draco in, she turned her head back and screamed, "Draco! Draco please, forgive me! I never wanted to hurt you I swear. Draco please!"

As he watched her, a realization rolled over him. She had just confessed to being a Death Eater to save him. She knew she would be placed for a lifetime in Azkaban, or maybe even worse, but she had done it anyway. The least he could do was grant her one wish. "Pansy," his voice was weak and sounded out of use. He cleared his throat in an effort to strengthen it, "I forgive you."

Pansy locked eyes with his one last time before the door between them closed. Her eyes had surprisingly been almost happy. They were certainly relieved and very thankful, and Draco felt that he had done the right thing. As he sat there on the cold stone floor, awaiting someone to do something, he found himself hoping that they gave Pansy a lighter sentence than the others. After all, she had saved his life and admitted her guilt in order to prove his innocence, so that had to count for something.

Shortly after Pansy was taken away, the doors to the chamber opened, and Dumbledore came sweeping inside. Draco was too exhausted to display any reaction to the Headmaster's grand entrance. Draco's head was pounding, his stomach was ravenous, and every muscle in his body ached with sore stiffness and lack of use. Dumbledore stepped in front of Draco, and several of the Ministry Officials followed his lead, forming a circle around the young man. Dumbledore handed the Minister of Magic a tiny glass bottle filled with a clear liquid, Draco assumed it must be the Veritaserum.

"Well Mr. Malfoy," began Dumbledore in an authoritative, yet kind sounding voice, "let us see what the truth really is." Dumbledore bent down and tipped three drops of the truth potion into Draco's mouth.

An irrepressible wave of lightheadedness consumed Draco. The chamber in which he was sitting felt extremely far away, as did its occupants. He felt as if his mind was completely free from his control, and it was open to answering any questions, and revealing any information, including Draco's deepest and darkest thoughts and secrets.

Dumbledore was the one to lead the questioning. He began as any formal inquiry should, "state your name."

Dumbledore's voice echoed in Draco's head, and it sounded as if it were coming from miles away. But Draco's mind was now out of his control and it answered the question, "Draco Malfoy."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"No."

"Do you have the Dark Mark on your arm?"

"Yes."

"Explain to us, from the beginning, how it got there."

Draco took a big breath and spoke in a disconnected monotonous tone, "Father had always wanted me to become a Death Eater like him, the older I grew, the more I rebelled against the idea. I was supposed to be initiated after sixth year, but I fought it, and towards the end of the year, father took me to the Hog's Head to assure that I would no longer rebel. Hermione found out where I was, and tried to stop me from agreeing. In the end it worked and Lucius ended up in St. Mungo's.

"Then this summer, Lucius somehow escaped and rejoined the Dark Lord. Earlier this year, Blaise had told me that Pansy was a Death Eater, and that he was going to be initiated too, but that he wanted to escape. He asked me how I did it and if I could help him. I agreed, but then found out it was all a lie when he took me to Hogsmeade."

Here Dumbledore interrupted, "He told you Miss Parkinson was a Death Eater?"

"Yes."

"Did you share that information with anyone?"

"No."

"Not even Miss Granger?"

"No, she was worried enough knowing Lucius was free, I didn't want to worry her more, or endanger anyone else by letting anything leak out."

"Very well, please continue."

Draco took another deep breath, "Well, it turns out that Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle were already Death Eaters, and it was all just a plan to get revenge on me and Hermione for betraying Lucius and the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord put the imperius curse on me when Blaise took me to Hogsmeade. I tried to fight it, but it was too strong for me to break through for longer than a second. It was under the curse that I brought Hermione to the initiation ceremony. I was still under the curse when the Dark Lord forced me to take the oath. I remember Hermione shouting at me to stop, but before I could fully fight off the curse again, the Dark Lord branded me. After that Lucius began to torture Hermione. That was what pushed me over the edge and gave me my strength back, that was when I killed Lucius.

"But then Dumbledore, Potter, Weasley and Snape came, and no one gave me a chance to defend myself. Hermione hadn't seen me kill Lucius; she was in too much pain, so she thought I had been acting of my own free will. I've been in Azkaban ever since."

Dumbledore looked from Draco to the other wizards standing around him; they all seemed to be wearing the same expression, guilty looks of disbelief. On the ground the spacey look on Draco's face slowly faded as the effects of the Veritaserum wore off. Draco stared with mild confusion up at the circle of wizards surrounding him.

"Well," blustered the Minister, "the Veritaserum doesn't lie. It seems as if the only thing this man is guilty of is murdering Lucius Malfoy, and I think it's clear he's already served enough time for that crime. All in favor of clearing Draco Malfoy of all charges and hereby releasing him, raise your hand."

Every hand in the chamber went up without hesitation.

"That's settled then. Mr. Malfoy, you are now free to go."

Draco could hardly believe his ears, he was free. Free again at last. But then why did he still feel so empty? With much difficulty, he pushed himself up to a standing position. He wobbled a bit, and several people in the circle held out there hands to prevent him from falling.

"I think you could do with a proper meal," suggested professor Dumbledore.

Draco grunted in response.

"If you will all excuse us."

Several of the room's occupants nodded and then watched as Dumbledore led the innocent young man out of the chamber. Neither man spoke as Dumbledore led them through the Ministry of Magic to the Ministry restaurant. The restaurant was rather full, and several of the diners gave Draco disgusted looks as he entered behind Dumbledore, no doubt they were repulsed by his filthy appearance. Draco sneered back at them, he was not used to people looking distastefully at him, and he did not appreciate it now.

Before sitting down, Dumbledore insisted that Draco go the buffet and get something to eat. There were so many foods that Draco hadn't seen in what felt like ages that he didn't know what to grab first. Once his plate was overflowing with pastries, fruit and lunch meats he followed Dumbledore to a table by the wall where it was a bit less crowded.

At first no one spoke, rather Dumbledore politely watched and munched on his toast while Draco took big bites of his meal. He could not remember the last time food tasted this good, but he was certainly enjoying the experience. Once Dumbledore felt that Draco had gotten settled enough, he spoke, "I want to apologize Mr. Malfoy, for not believing your story during the trial."

Draco was feeling rather resentful towards Dumbledore (and towards humanity in general) so all he did was grunt in response.

"I understand why you must be rather angry at us and me, but I ask that you forgive us."

Draco merely huffed and took another bite of his food. He had already forgiven one person today, so he was in no mood to do it again, and he wasn't afraid to show it.

Dumbledore sighed; he didn't seem to be expecting any more of a response from Draco so he continued. "I know this is all happening rather fast, but do you think you will return to Hogwarts?"

Draco stopped immediately. Return to Hogwarts? He hadn't even had time to fully appreciate the fact that he was free, and already the crazy old man wanted him to come back to school? Suddenly his life as a student at Hogwarts seemed ages away, he felt as if the whole concept of school was rather immature for him now. What would be the purpose? It's not like he needed to get a job or anything after school, he really had no idea what he would do. For as long as he could remember, his future had been definitively set out for him, and now that was all gone. It was a relief, but also a bit frightening because for the first time ever, it was entirely up to him to make a very large decision about the direction his life would take. And it was much too soon to decide what he wanted to do.

'Really,' he asked himself, 'what reason is there to go back to school?'

* * *

I know I've been driving everyone crazy with cliffhangers lately, so I hope the ending to this chapter leaves you all in a bit less agony (while at the same time still leaving you craving more as well of course ;o) ). The next chapter might take a bit longer to post, partially because I'm having a bit of trouble deciding what exactly to write, and also partially because it's my birthday on Wednesday, so I have some partying to do next week. Anyways as always, I love getting reviews, and hearing what you guys think, every time I read one it makes me want to stop everything I'm doing and write more! (which is good for the fic, but bad for being productive with anything else lol). 


	23. Chapter 23: Return of the Dragon

**Disclaimer: **I am not, nor will I ever be J.K. Rowling, therefore, I do not, nor will I ever own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **Thank you so much for all the happy birthday wishes; they made me feel so good! It seems unanimous that everyone wants Draco to return to Hogwarts . . . .so I'll let the title of this chapter speak for itself on that subject. ;o) Now to thank all of you totally awesome people who reviewed chapter 22:

_purple pixie_ – welcome back! lol no worries, I do that all the time where I review someone's fic and then for whatever reason stop for a while. But of course every reader means something, so it's nice to see you haven't stopped reading :o) Anyway, I'm very happy to hear that you like it, and thanks for the review!  
_mAlFoYiSaWeSoMe_ – thanks! I'm glad to hear that you've liked both my fics so far, hope the update came quick enough!_  
sprinkles.over.glass, luna, midnightwanderer01, anIme-prYncess, openhearted, Scorpiogrrll, I wish your heart was mine, Dumdumditz23, zuvalupa, Sunflower18, Twistedtwin, sissified_ – I'm glad you all like the story and thanks for the reviews!  
_Ginny-W13_ – oh no! hopefully this update came in time to revive you from your heart attack. I would hate to be responsible for killing anyone with suspence. Thanks for the review!  
_Anonymous-139_ – lol yes, poor Draco's not thinking straight at the moment, hopefully he'll get over that soon. ;o) Thanks for the review!_  
jesska-14_ – Interesting ideas. I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that Draco is not going to get another girlfriend. Of course, that doesn't mean he's getting back together with Hermione either . . . . . Thanks for the review!  
_Sayaku-chan_ – lol no the laughter didn't frighten me, it amused me though. Writer's block definitely isn't fun, so I'm hoping what I came up with meets the standards everyone expects, I guess I'll find out soon. Thanks a lot for the review!  
_Lee_ – thank you, an no, Draco won't forgive anyone quickly, that's not his style. And yes, Ron's being a complete jerk, he's got quite a bit of growing up to do. Thanks for the review, and I hope you like the chapter!  
_CB_ – Well, I'm not sure if this chapter would be considered happier, so I'll let you decide that for yourself. I hope I didn't leave you Hanging for too long, and I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for the review!  
_Melia_ – confetti! hehehe Anyway thank you for the review, and I hope the wait wasn't too long!  
_elektra30_ – there probably is no such thing as 'crucioed' however since it's a made up word anyway I didn't worry about it. I'm glad you like the emotion and Pansy's transformation, and I hope you like the stuff in this chapter as well. Thanks so much for the review!  
_Unknown_ – lol yeah Ron's definitely a baby, he's just sop easy to write that way it's hard not to go overboard with the immaturity. Anyway, thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
Southernsweetdevil – thank you! I love that you think I make it sound believable. And actually, your review, came exactly on my b-day so you were neither late or early! lol Thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter!

And now, onto chapter 23!

* * *

**Chapter 23: Return of the Dragon**

Once they were finished with lunch, Dumbledore led Draco to the fireplaces so that he could return home. Draco had not yet decided if he would return to Hogwarts, so Dumbledore asked him to think on it and give him an answer as soon as possible.

After swirling through the floo network, Draco crash landed on his knees once he arrived back in the Manor. He coughed due to the soot and winced at the shooting pains which were surging through his legs due to the impact of the crash. That was definitely not the sort of landing he was used to, but then again he had an excuse.

Draco was only just beginning to stand when he heard the patter of house elf feet rushing towards him. "Master Draco!" the elf squeaked as she ran forward to help her master to his feet. "What is you doing here sir? Madam said you is in Azkaban." The house elf shuddered and looked shocked at the state Draco was in, "what is they doing to you Master? They is not treating you good at all sir!"

"Where is Narcissa?"

"Oh Master Draco, Madam is so lonely and depressed here all alone without Master Draco and Master Lucius!" the house elf grieved, "Madam left to escape, she is taking only one house elf with her, and ordered the rest of us to stay here and keep Master's Manor clean. And we is doing it sir, but we is so happy to see Master Draco again! Is there anything you is needing?"

"No not right now."

"Very well sir, we is all here if you is needing anything!" the house elf bowed and left Draco on his own.

Draco spent a moment taking in his surroundings. The crisp perfection and wealth of his home was a glorious change from the filthy Azkaban cell. As he thought about it, Draco looked at his robes. He sneered with disgust at himself and stormed thought the halls up to his room to take a shower. His room was dark, since the drapes were shut and the torches were not lit, but Draco didn't care, after all, by now the darkness felt more than normal for him. Now it was expected.

He peeled the robes off, nearly gagging at the site of them, and how disgusting he felt now that he was surrounded by the rich fabrics, and highly polished wooden floors. He reached into his pocket for his wand because he wanted to start a fire to burn the robes, but then he remembered that he had not had it for over a month. A surge of hatred flashed through him, he was rather attached to his wand, and he was furious at the fate that had been brought upon it. He cringed as he remembered his wand being snapped in two.

Upon deciding that the first thing he would do in the morning would be to go to Diagon Alley and purchase a new wand, he threw the robes down in the empty fireplace to be burned later. It felt unbelievably good to have the steamy drops cascading through his hair and down his body. As he washed away the dirt, it was as if he was washing away something else as well, like the water was sweeping away all traces of guilt. Well, all but one. There was one trace that he would never be able to wash away, one Mark that he would have to live with for the rest of his life. He scowled at the sight of it; the temporary lift his spirits had felt quickly dove back down into anger, resentment, hatred and despair.

After his shower, he donned a bathrobe, with the intension of taking an afternoon nap. He stepped into his room to find the torches had been lit; the house elves must have done it while he was in the shower. He walked to his bed, but found something blocking his way; it was his trunk from school. 'Dumbledore must have sent this after I was imprisoned,' he thought as he heaved it out of the way.

Draco spent the rest of the day and the whole night sleeping. Yet while the bed was exceedingly softer and more comfortable than the bed in Azkaban, he still did not sleep well. His mind was plagued with nightmares similar to the thoughts the dementors had caused him to relive. Indeed, it seemed as if Draco was just as good at torturing himself as the dementor's had been.

The next morning when Draco finally awoke, his body at least felt a little better and stronger. He was still aching, but no where near as much as he had been the day before. He turned so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, and as he did so, his legs hit his trunk. With an inexplicable curiosity, he slid onto the ground and opened it.

He didn't know why he was so compelled to open the trunk; he already knew what was in it. Just all the crap he had brought to school. But wait, this wasn't how he left his stuff packed in his trunk at all. Draco had always kept his trunk as organized and pristine as the rest of his life was, but what he saw was a complete mess. It looked as if someone had ravaged through and half-hazardly thrown it all back inside. He saw loose pages from his textbooks, his clothes were in a wrinkled mess, and there was a crack in his cauldron, what the fuck was going on? Who had destroyed all his things? He began to remove some things to see what else of his had been ruined, and underneath this last set of robes, he saw something that suddenly made sense of everything.

The aches he felt in his body was nothing compared to the ache and pain he felt in his heart when he saw the picture of him and Hermione with a huge tear down the center. Both images seemed to be moping on their respective side of the photo, Draco sighed, he couldn't even be with Hermione in a picture anymore. He gently lifted the picture and placed it on top of the pile of his textbooks, and then looked back inside the trunk. Underneath the photo he found the dragon pendant, the first gift he had given Hermione. He held the necklace tightly in his hand, so tight that it was painfully digging into his skin.

Despite the negative emotions that the examination of his trunk had inspired, it had served one important purpose. It had convinced him to return to Hogwarts, if for no other reason than to see her face again.

- - - - - -

Hermione again chose to skip meal time the next morning; she had turned to her usual solution for any problem, studying. That was what she was doing when Harry knocked on her door after he had returned from breakfast. "Come in," Hermione called from her desk.

Harry let himself in, trying to make as little noise as possible. He walked to Hermione's desk and dropped an apple and a couple pieces of toast on her textbook. It was a silent order to eat instead of work, and Hermione got the message, and set her quill down. Harry glanced at Hermione's desk and saw a rolled up copy of the Daily Prophet, "Have you read that yet?"

"No," muttered Hermione before she nibbled her toast.

"Well," Harry spoke as he reached over and picked up the newspaper. "There's an article in there about Malfoy being released, I thought you might like to take a look at it, it's not much, but I thought you'd appreciate it anyway."

"Thanks Harry."

"Hermione you're not planning on spending all day studying are you?"

"Actually I was."

"Come on, it's the last Hogsmeade weekend we'll ever have, come with us."

Hermione looked up at Harry, then at her schoolwork, then back at Harry and then conceded with a sigh, "Alright, you win, I'll come."

"Excellent!"

"But if Ron says one thing I'm leaving."

"I've already told him not to say anything on the subject, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Hermione seriously doubted it would be as simple as just telling Ron not to speak, but she followed Harry anyway.

The trip to Hogsmeade was good for Hermione. It felt nice to be outside in the sun, and since she spent most of the time with Ginny, she didn't even have to worry about Ron. By the end of the day, she was even laughing and genuinely having a good time. It was bittersweet knowing that this was the last time she would be visiting the village as a student. She reflected back on all her past Hogsmeade visits, a lot had certainly happened in this village, and it was rather sad to know there would be no more Hogsmeade weekends to look forward to in the future.

Towards the end of the day, Hermione and Ginny met up with Harry and Ron at the Three Broomsticks. Harry looked relieved to see Hermione happy; Ron on the other hand seemed to be putting all his concentration into maintaining a happy expression. But Hermione was quick to note that the smile on his face did not match the look in his eyes, and he was still not speaking to her for the most part.

Harry and Ginny clearly did their best to ease the tension between Hermione and Ron, but despite their best efforts, Ron's stubbornness was too much. The four friends remained together for the rest of the day, but they never spoke all together as a group, they always seemed to be divided into pairs. Hermione would either be talking to Harry or to Ginny, but no one seemed to want to attempt a conversation between the four of them all together. All in all, it was not the ideal ending to the last Hogsmeade weekend, but sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to.

That night, as Hermione was lying sleeplessly in her bed, her eyes subconsciously wandered to the bookcase where she knew she had thrown the book Draco had given her. She summoned the book from the bookcase, and held it delicately. She opened it to the page she had left off on oh so long ago, and fell to sleep reading the story.

- - - - - -

Sunday morning, one of Draco's more vivid nightmares startled him awake earlier than he would have liked. But as he was out of breath, and could not see himself finding sleep again, he got up anyway. He washed up and for the first time, got a good look of himself in the mirror. His face was even paler and pointed than he could ever remember seeing it, and his hair was much too long, he would have to get that taken care of today as well.

The house elves served him an enormous breakfast, they were so excited to have someone to serve that they went a little overboard. Once he was fed, he apparated to Diagon Alley, he was glad to finally have the strength to apparate again because he hadn't felt at all up to it the day before.

He walked through the street, which was rather empty compared to how he had normally seen it, then again, the only time he usually came to Diagon Alley was during the before school rush when the whole place was a mad house. He was pleased to find that no one was throwing him disgusted looks today; he had his expensive, richly tailored robes to thank for that. His first stop was to a small wizarding barber shop in a corner of the street. This was where he had always gotten his hair cut, so the barber already knew exactly what to do. Once the barber was finished, and Draco determined that he was once again looking like himself, he instructed the man to charge the cost to one of the Malfoy vaults at Gringotts.

Feeling much more confident now that he at least looked the part, Draco went into Ollivander's old wand shop to purchase a new wand. Draco could feel the magical energy surge the moment he entered the room. It was a creepy feeling, and made him feel on edge but he didn't show it. Somewhere deep in the shop a small bell tinkled as the door opened, and a moment later, Mr. Ollivander appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Good morning Mr. Malfoy, Dumbledore sent word that you might be coming by today."

Draco allowed a small sneer to play upon his lips.

"I am assuming your old wand has been destroyed?"

Draco nodded.

"Pity, it was a nice wand. No matter, we shall find you a proper match today I am certain. Your old wand was a dragon heartstring I believe?"

Draco nodded again.

"Very well then, that is what we shall begin with today." Mr. Ollivander flitted to the stacks of wands, and pulled one down.

Draco removed it from the box, notice with distaste that this wand was much shorter than his old wand. Yet, it seemed Draco had barely touched the wand, when Mr. Ollivander swiped it away. The next wand was longer, but exceedingly thin, this too was taken away almost immediately.

Draco had tried over two dozen wands and was beginning to get very bored, although Mr. Ollivander seemed to get more excited with each rejected wand. He passed Draco yet another box, Draco lifted the wand, expecting to have it ripped away as all the other one's had, but this time as he lifted it, gold stars left a trail in the air behind it.

"Excellent!" cried Mr. Ollivander. "It seems we have finally found the correct wand! And what a powerful wand it is. It is made of Rowan wood with a combination dragon heartstring and unicorn tail core eleven inches and very pliable, you should get great results from this wand."

Draco nodded; he had not yet spoken to the man, mostly because the old wizard's attitude unnerved him a bit. "You can just charge it to the Malfoy account at Gringotts," he instructed. Mr. Ollivander nodded, and as soon as Draco turned his back to leave, he had disappeared once again.

Draco apparated back home as soon as he stepped out of the shop, and once he arrived, he took the time to examine his new wand. It was entirely black and polished to a gleam; it was a tad bit shorter than his old wand, but not awkwardly so. It was the perfect thickness for his hand, so holding it felt completely natural. He got the feel of it between his fingers, and even performed a few simple spells. Everything worked perfectly, and felt fine; Draco was very satisfied with his new wand, so with a cunning grin, he walked rather quickly up to his room with one thought in mind. He threw open the door, stood in front of the fireplace and took one last look at the filthy mess that was his set of Azkaban robes, and muttered "incendio." A burst of fire shot out from his wand and engulfed the robes; the flames fed off the fabric and rose towards the top of the fireplace. Draco watched them burn with relish until the flames had shrunk to embers, and the embers silently faded away.

Having completed his initial goals for the day, Draco set out to find Aries, so that he could owl Dumbledore about returning to Hogwarts. The eagle owl seemed ecstatic to see his owner again, and Draco spent a few minutes stroking the regal bird's feathers before he began writing his letter to Dumbledore.

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_I have decided to return to Hogwarts. I want only to complete my seventh year and take the N.E.W.T.s. I will need transportation and lists of work I should prepare for the tests._

_Draco Malfoy_

Draco didn't see any reason for the Headmaster to know what (or who for that matter) had really triggered his decision to return to school. Plus, what he wrote was true, he did want to complete his N.E.W.T.s, after all, it would not look good at all for a Malfoy to have never completed school. That would put him at the same level as the weasel twins, and Draco could never stand for that.

Draco tied the note to Aries' leg, and Aries was only too happy to finally have a delivery to make that he flew like lightning through the sky. Once he was gone, Draco had nothing to do but wait for a response from Dumbledore, so that is exactly what he did. He wandered the grounds and took a tour of the Manor, as if to remind himself it was all still there, but all in all, the rest of the afternoon was rather unproductive.

- - - - - -

Sunday passed without incident. Hermione had insisted on spending the whole day studying, and she encouraged Harry and Ron to do the same since N.E.W.T.s were not even two weeks away. They agreed to study if she would agree to take a dinner break and actually come to the Great Hall for once. In the end she agreed.

So after an entire day of effective studying, she removed herself from her room and joined her friends in the Great Hall. One of the first things she noticed was that Professor Dumbledore was not seated at the front of the room. The Great Hall was abuzz with chatter as usual, at first people had been curious as to where their Headmaster had gone, however, once the food arrived, people quickly forgot about their curiosity.

Well, most people forgot at least, Harry however, voiced the question that was running through his mind as he doled out food onto his plate, "where do you think Dumbledore is?"

"I don't know," answered Hermione. She paused awkwardly, sneaking an almost imperceptible glance at Ron before continuing. "Do you think whatever he's doing has anything to do with Draco?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but even Ron could not pretend that he didn't hear the hopeful tone of her voice. He chose not to speak, which was very difficult for him, but his jaw was set in a manner that made it clear that he did not appreciate the tone of Hermione's voice.

"I wouldn't be surprised," said Ginny, "do you think he'll . . . ."

But Ginny's question went unfinished, for at that moment, the heavy doors to the Great Hall slowly opened, and two people stepped inside. Every head turned, and when the students saw who the men were, several people gasped. Dumbledore calmly stepped forward, but no one was watching him. All eyes were on the platinum-haired young man standing next to him, Draco Malfoy.

Though it was rather difficult to tell since he was too far away for his expression to be readable, Hermione sensed a deadened air about him. She didn't think that he standing with his usual confident, arrogant stance, though she hoped she was just imagining it. Draco did not look at anyone in the room, nor did he seem to be looking at the room itself. It was as if there was a wall in front of his eyes, blocking them from looking out into the world. Hermione stared at him, desperately hoping to draw his attention, yearning to gaze into his silver eyes and see what he was really feeling.

Professor Dumbledore viewed the room, and saw stunned looks on most of the students' faces. He bent over and whispered something to Draco. Without any sort of reply, Draco turned on his heel, and swept out of the room without so much as a glance at anyone. Dumbledore closed the doors after him, and then made his way to the front of the room with long sweeping strides. Now that Draco was gone, all eyes followed his progress and eagerly awaited an explanation.

Once he was at the front of the room, he turned to address the student body. "I suppose you are all wondering about the presence of Mr. Malfoy here tonight." The anticipation was heavy and the silence following Dumbledore's introduction was deafening. "As you already know, Mr. Malfoy was declared innocent by the Ministry of Magic. And now he is here to complete his final year at Hogwarts. It has taken much effort to convince Mr. Malfoy to return to Hogwarts. And therefore, I wish to ask that no one question him about what he's been through, please just go about your usual routines. He will return to classes tomorrow, and I think it best that everyone act as normal around him as possible. Also, would the Head Boy and Girl please speak to me for a moment after dinner? Thank you, and again, please remember not to question Mr. Malfoy about recent events, it has been far too difficult for him as it is."

Hermione and Harry turned to look at each other following Dumbledore's pronouncement. Hermione suddenly found she was much too eager to hear what Dumbledore had to say to wait, so she dragged Harry up to the front of the room. "You wanted to see us professor?" she asked once they arrived.

"Yes, I have something to inform you of. Naturally, since Mr. Malfoy is innocent, I felt it necessary to offer him the chance to reinstate his former position as Head Boy."

Harry's heart sank, he was pretty sure he knew what was coming. But he didn't like the idea, he had grown quite accustomed to his shiny Head Boy badge, and having his own room, and he didn't like the idea of giving it all up, even if those privileges shouldn't have been his in the first place. Dumbledore continued, "I have made him the offer, however, he has chosen to refuse it, so Mr. Potter, you will complete the year as Head Boy."

Harry's face lit up, but Hermione looked slightly disappointed, "but why did he refuse?" she blurted out. She only realized how rude she must have sounded to Harry after she spoke. She covered her mouth and glanced at him guiltily, he looked rather offended.

Dumbledore gave Hermione a small smile, "I believe, Miss Granger, that this ordeal has left him in a very reclusive state. I am still not exactly sure what convinced him to return to school at all. But I believe that now that he is here he only wishes to complete his studies. Being Head Boy, with all the responsibilities it requires, would not allow him the privacy he needs at this time."

"Oh, okay," Hermione didn't even try to hide the disappointment in her voice, "thank you professor."

Dumbledore nodded, and Harry and Hermione turned away. "Oh, and Miss Granger," Harry continued walking, but Hermione turned back and gave professor Dumbledore a questioning look. "Mr. Malfoy may be difficult to approach at first, but give him time. Being under the imperius curse and in the hands of the dementors for as long as he was tends to make people distrustful, even of those they used to care for most."

Hermione furrowed her brow. She was a little unnerved as to why Dumbledore was taking the time to explain this to her, "thank you professor." With that she turned away and returned to her seat at the Gryffindor table.

"What's the matter? Disappointed that ferret face isn't going to be Head Boy again?" spat Ron sarcastically as Hermione began to sit down. He had finally snapped, and the jovial façade he had been wearing all day was instantly abandoned.

'If looks could kill' is the only way to describe the glare that Hermione gave Ron. Indeed, if looks could kill, he would have been dead on the spot. But instead of retaliating, Hermione found that she no longer had an appetite. She retreated from the table, and stormed out of the room with her nose in the air. Many heads watched her as she went, her thick bushy hair bouncing with each step. She wasn't crying, and she didn't know who she was angry at most, Ron for what he said, Draco for turning down the Head Boy position, or herself for being selfish enough to be angry with either of them.

She sighed desperately once she reached the portrait; she leaned up against the wall and just sank down to a sitting position, her knees tight against her chest. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the stone wall. The Founders in the portrait were all curiously attempting to crane their necks in order to see what was going on.

Hermione soon heard approaching footsteps. Her first thought was that it was Draco, coming to comfort her as he always used to whenever she was sad or distressed. But the voice that spoke her name was not Draco's, it was Harry's. "Hermione, are you alright?"

Hermione kept her eyes closed, and silently nodded.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked quietly, sinking down next to her.

Hermione sighed, knowing it would do no good to lie to Harry, and knowing that he would see right through her if she tried to pretend she wasn't disappointed.

"It's not that I don't like you being Head Boy Harry, because I do. And you're a wonderful Head Boy, I just . . . .It's like . . ." Hermione struggled for a moment to find the right words to express what was going on inside. Harry patiently waited, looking at her supportively, like a friend, which was exactly what Hermione needed.

She finally opened her eyes, which were slowly misting, she had expected Harry to be angry with her, but one look into his enchanting green eyes told her that she never had to worry about that. His supportive gaze relaxed her and helped her find the right words. "It's just that when I saw him back, a part of me hoped, and I guess expected, things to all of a sudden go back to the way they were before. Back before he was put under the curse, back when everyone was actually getting along pretty well." She paused. "Back when I was really happy." She finished more to herself than to Harry.

Harry put his arm around Hermione's shoulders in a friendly gesture, "I understand Hermione, and . . . I can't believe I'm saying this, but just because he's not Head Boy doesn't mean that things can't go back to the way they were with you two."

Even in her saddened state, Hermione was flabbergasted; she stared at Harry for a rather long time. At first Harry looked back at her with an expression that told her he was completely serious, then apparently feeling awkward, he turned and made to stand up, but Hermione was too quick for him. She seized his robes and pulled him back down, "you mean, if that were to happen, if Draco and I did . . .get back together, you would be alright with it?" she asked not daring to believe that to be the case.

"Well, yeah if that's what would make you happy, like the Hermione we all know and love, then yes, I fully support it." Even Harry had difficulty believing the words that were flying out of his mouth, but he meant every one of them. "I mean . . . if you tell anyone this, you'll die . . . but when you and Malfoy were together, he wasn't _so_ bad."

Hermione burst out laughing. "Don't let anyone else hear you say that Harry or you'll end up sharing a room with Lockhart in St. Mungo's!"

Harry quickly looked away, pretending to be completely cool, "yeah I know, that's why you'll die if anyone finds out I said it!" He smiled at her. "This conversation never happened"

Hermione pretended to zip her mouth shut. Then she laughed and gave him a hug. "Thanks Harry, I needed that."

"You know I'm always here for you Hermione," assured Harry with a smile.

"I know, but thanks for reminding me."

- - - - - -

When Draco left the Great Hall, he walked slowly through the empty hallways down to the Slytherin dungeons. His footsteps echoed off the stone walls, and his thoughts were a jumble. He was cursing himself now because he hadn't had the courage to look towards the Gryffindor table for Hermione. He was afraid of what he might see.

He felt very conflicted because Gryffindors were notorious for their righteousness, and that means that they would save anyone who needed saving whether they liked the person or not. He knew that Potter and Weasley had helped her stop the ceremony, and there was no doubt that they hated Draco, so in his mind it was entirely possible for Hermione still hate him even though she helped rescue him.

He didn't want to believe it, but recent events had caused him to be even more suspicious and closed off that he had ever been in his life which meant that he didn't trust anyone or anything, not even his own instincts.

He opened the Slytherin common room, and walked up to his old dormitory. As he looked around, he wondered if he had made the right choice in not taking Dumbledore's offer of the Head Boy position. The old Draco would have loved taking anything away from Potter, but he had refused. He refused not because of the stressful responsibilities it entailed as he had told Dumbledore, but because of Hermione. Yes he wanted to see her again, yes he wanted to talk to her again, but living with her again would have been too much too soon, especially when he had no idea what she was thinking.

He unpacked his things; he had brought the picture and necklace with him, although for the time being those remained safely hidden in the trunk. He then crash landed on the bed. He was so exhausted; his sleep was still filled with nightmares, so he was still unable to ever completely relax.

When he had spoken to Dumbledore, he had decided that until NE.W.T.s were completed he was going to focus entirely on studying. No doubt he had a lot of work to catch up on if he were to do well (or even just pass the bloody tests).

Dumbledore had assured him that the professors would be more than understanding and helpful, although that wasn't much of a comfort to Draco, the last thing he wanted to do was ask for help. Upon leaving the Great Hall, he had had the intention of going to bed in order to rest up for classes, however now that he was alone in the dormitory he felt rather like a caged animal who needed to escape. He began pacing the room, and finally, threw the door open and stormed through the common room. He didn't know where he was going or why, it was as if his legs were no longer under his control. He passed the Great Hall, and scowled at all the voices he heard. It wasn't until he was about to turn the corner to the Gryffindor hallway, that his mind clued in to where his legs were taking him, and finally, he came to an abrupt halt. He heard a male voice _". . . never happened."_

'Potter,' Draco thought with a sneer. He then heard a girl laugh. It was a laugh he recognized instantly, 'Hermione!' Unable to stop himself, he peered around the corner, and his heart jumped into his throat and constricted his airways when he saw the two sitting with their arms wrapped around each other.

Draco shook his attention away and pressed his back up against the wall, he didn't know what he was thinking, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. In a frustrated rage he slammed his fist against the wall, and turned back, taking long strides as if to get as far away as possible from the two Gryffindors as he could without actually running. Because, after all, Malfoy's never ran away from anything.

It wasn't until he was back in the Slytherin dormitory with the hangings shut tight around his bed that he paused to think about what he saw. Even he could not explain to himself why he had gotten so mad, it was almost as if he was jealous. 'I am not jealous of Potter!' he growled to himself, 'and who cares if they were hugging. That means nothing! Now if they were kissing, that'd be different.' Draco nodded to himself, he was doing a good job calming himself down and convincing himself that there was nothing to stress over until the next thought popped into his head. 'And even if they were kissing, it shouldn't matter to you, you're not dating her anymore.' The thought came before he could stop it, but the sickening feeling of resentment and anger that it left lingered long after he drifted to sleep and it made his already restless sleep even more uncomfortable than usual.

* * *

YAY he's finally back! Now they're gonna realize they've been stupid, and suddenly get back together as if nothing ever happened right? I'll let you all decide how I would answer that question on your own. ;o) In the meantime, I look forward to reading what everyone thought of this chapter, so please send a review. Thanks! 


	24. Chapter 24:The Yearbook Ceremony

**Disclaimer: **Last time I checked I was still me, and therefore not J.K. Rowling, which means that I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **Sorry about the delay, I had a bit of writers block with this chapter, I hope you're not mad. I also hope the chapter managed to come together alright because I was really frustrated with it. Anyway, WOW so many reviewers to thank, I love it! You all are the greatest!

_Zuvalupa _– Yeah, it's definitely difficult for him, would be easier if he had someone to talk to about everything wouldn't it? lol thanks for the review!_  
comedy gal _– wow thank you so much! I don't want it to end either, but every story must come to an end sometime I suppose. There are still a few more chapters left in this fic though, so it's all good for now. Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_Crstalline Sacchrine _– lol I have turned another to the DM/HG side! I'm so happy to hear that you have enjoyed the story thus far, and I hope you continue liking the rest of it. Thanks a lot for the review!  
_Danik, Sunflower18, __Chantal J_ – Thank you for the reviews! I'm happy you all like it, and I hope everyone likes this chapter as well.  
_Ginny-W13 _– phew! I'm so glad to see you're still alive, I only hope that despite the longer wait this update came fast enough as well. lol Thanks for the review!  
_Scorpiogrrll_ – you're very welcome! I'm only to happy to thank you and all the other reviewers before each chapter, cause all the reviews really do help me see what I am doing well at and what I need to work on. And don't worry, nothing you said sounded lame. I'm glad to know that you think the emotions are portrayed realistically cause that means I'm succeeding at something. Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_anIme-prYncess _– lol things definitely would have been easier if he accepted the Head Boy position, but as we all know, Draco's never one to make things easier. Thanks for the review!  
_Unknown_ – Thanks for the review and I'm glad you liked it! I hope the wait wasn't too long. And speaking of Ron finding someone . . . . .  
_Melia _– lol yeah, Draco could definitely do with a hug, the poor guy. Thanks for the review!  
_Lee_ – hmmm have Draco beat the crap out of Ron, that certainly sounds like a nice idea. I wasn't planning on it, but if the opportunity presents itself for them to get into a fight I'll definitely consider it. Thanks for the idea and the review!  
_Gabsadd_ – and I would like to answer your question, but that would definitely spoil the end, so I'll leave it unanswered. Just know that the end is coming, I think there are only a few more chapters left, and then you'll know if they end up together or not for sure. Thanks for the review!  
_Sayaku-chan _– thank you! I thought I had writers block too (until I started writing), but apparently I had it more for this chapter than the last one. Oh well, as always, I hope you like it, and thank you for the review!  
_Steelo_ – I'm happy that you're so happy with it. And I hope the suspense didn't kill you too much, cause that wouldn't be good. Lol. Thank you very much for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_jesska-14_ – lol while it's flattering to hear that I could persuade any plot, you are correct, that it not what is going to happen, that would be much to simple after all this drama. I just hope you like what I do decide to do. Thanks for the review!  
_I wish your heart was mine_ – lol the energizer bunny! I'm glad that you liked the chapter even though it couldn't keep going and going, I hope you like this one too. And thanks for the review!  
_Southernsweetdevil_ – Thank you very much for the review! I would love to answer your question, but that might spoil something, so I'll let you read the answer in the story instead. Anyway, I hope this update came fast enough.  
_SharkAttak_ – First off, I hope your exams went well! The wall that Draco has built up around himself will definitely play a big part in the upcoming chapters, so I'm glad you liked the introduction of it. All of your questions are excellent, and I am rather embarrassed to say that I never really thought about what exactly Voldemort is doing right now (although he is definitely furious). But you definitely gave me stuff to think about, which I must thank you for because I'm kinda stuck at the moment, so I'm hoping that thinking about some of those things might get the ideas flowing in my head again. So thanks a lot for the review!  
_Elektra30_ – I'm glad you liked the emotion, because I know this chapter wasn't as exciting as the last few. Yeah, Draco just can't seem to catch a break can he, maybe he will in this chapter . . . . .then again maybe not. Thanks for the review!  
_Openhearted_ – lol you're welcome, thank you for reading this story! I'm sorry the update took so long, but I hope you still like it!  
_SweetSummerSun31_ – wow, thank you so much for the compliments! I'm very happy that you like my story so much. Thanks a lot for the review!

Now, finally, on with chapter 24!

* * *

**Chapter 24: The Yearbook Ceremony**

The next morning, Hermione awoke with an inexplicable eagerness to get to breakfast. It took her a while to realize that deep down she was hoping to see Draco in the Great Hall. Her heart was fluttering much in the way that it had when she first became interested in him last year. It was an exciting feeling of anticipation, and while a last year the feeling had frightened her, now she eagerly welcomed it.

She was waiting in the common room for Harry, and did her best not to hurry him along. She knew she was ready earlier than usual, and she should try not to get her hopes up. She couldn't even explain why she was so excited, it's not like she was expecting to talk to him or anything, although that would be nice too . . .

After what felt like hours, Harry entered the common room and the two left together for breakfast. Normally they would have met up with Ron and Ginny along the way, but Hermione was still rather sore at Ron for what he had said to her the night before.

From the moment she stepped foot into the Great Hall her eyes darted over to the Slytherin table in search of Draco. But he was nowhere to be found. With a slight sinking feeling in her chest, she sat down, frequently glancing at the door for Draco, but to no avail. By the time breakfast had finished, he was still nowhere to be found and Hermione felt immensely disappointed as she got up to go to class.

She tried to remain optimistic because the first class of the day was Arithmancy and Dumbledore had said that Draco would be returning to classes today. She entered the room, and immediately looked towards Draco's usual seat, but he was not there. With a sigh, she shuffled to her usual seat, and half-heartedly took out her books. She knew that they would only be reviewing for N.E.W.T.s, but she still brought all her materials to class, because she just didn't feel right without them.

Shortly before the bell rang, professor Vector walked in carrying a small stack of parchment, she proceeded to walk passed her desk towards the back of the room. Hermione followed her and had to do a double take when she saw where the professor was headed.

There, seated in the back corner of the room, was Draco! He could have been there all along and she would not have noticed, an odd feeling entered her chest. She thought she would be relieved and excited to see him, however part of her was scared and unsure of what to do. Professor Vector handed Draco the parchments and said something to him, to which Draco nodded. Professor Vector then returned to her desk at the front of the room, but Hermione could not tear her eyes away from Draco.

Finally, after several long moments of staring at his pale face, Draco's eyes turned upon her. She was visibly startled, but she was also rather disappointed because what she was not what she had hoped for. She had to focus all her effort into turning away from him and breaking eye contact. She had been so happy to see him again, but his complete lack of emotion had unnerved her. It reminded her of what he had been like before they had fallen in love, a barren wasteland lacking any true feelings. As she copied notes onto her parchment, she wondered had Azkaban stripped him of all ability to feel. Did he even have the ability to love anymore? Or had he just buried it all inside him again? He certainly was an expert at masking himself off like that. Suddenly, she found it much harder to concentrate on her note taking with her thoughts plagued with concern for Draco.

- - - - - - -

The first morning after his return to Hogwarts, Draco woke up so early that he got breakfast and returned to his room before most of the rest of the school was even awake. But that was just fine with him; he was in no mood to see all the other students again anyway. He was beginning to regret agreeing to return to Hogwarts, he wasn't sure if he had the guts to talk to Hermione, and he could already tell that he wasn't going to like going to classes. But nevertheless, he was here, so he was going to deal with it.

He arrived in the Arithmancy classroom long before class was to start, and at first he went to his usual seat in the front. However, upon consideration, he decided he would rather keep himself as low profile and invisible as possible to avoid annoying looks from the other students.

Draco had nearly drifted back to sleep in the back corner of the room when he heard the sounds of footsteps and voices entering. He watched the other students with narrowed eyes, as he'd hoped, none of them even took one glance in his direction. He was sneering at the whole lot of them until he saw Hermione. She caused the sneer to fall right off his face and made his heart leap up into his throat. She couldn't see him, but he could tell from her body language that she had looked for him where he usually sat.

Before class, professor Vector gave Draco notes of what they had covered in his absence. "If you have any questions, just ask," the professor instructed.

Draco nodded and shuffled through the parchments as professor Vector began the review. He began taking notes, but found he was distracted by an awkward feeling that was surrounding him. He ignored it as long as he could, but when it got to be too much, he finally cracked and looked up. To his surprise he found Hermione staring at him. He looked back at her, but was unable to read her expression. Was it shock? Longing? Anger? He had no clue.

He stared back at her for quite a while, though he was sure to maintain a blank expression on his outside. On the inside his heart was racing and he felt his muscles tense as he stared into those chocolate brown eyes that he had been longing to see again for so long. If he had obeyed his lusty impulses he would have leapt up across the room and pulled her into a sweet embrace, and kissed her tender lips. But of course he didn't do that, he didn't show any emotion. He was afraid of how she would react if he did, and he couldn't stand risking breaking his own heart anymore than it already was.

Throughout class he found himself unable to resist sneaking quick glances in her direction every now and then. Since her back was to him, she had no idea that he was looking at her, and he couldn't see her face, but he looked anyway. He never stared for longer than a couple seconds, and even that was enough for the despair to overwhelm him even more.

- - - - - - -

Hermione did her best to ignore Draco's lack of acknowledgement of her by focusing on N.E.W.T.s. Since the whole seventh year was fiendishly studying, that wasn't much of problem. As usual, Hermione studied with Harry and Ron, however since she flatly refused to study in the Gryffindor common room, Ron came to the heads common room instead. They didn't talk much during these extended study sessions, unless it was to ask Hermione a question.

And that's the way things pretty much went on every day, with the study time seeming to increase and the days seeming to become shorter the closer N.E.W.T.s came. The three friends would always make their way to the heads common room after dinner. Well, almost always, a couple times Hermione and Harry went alone, while Ron went off somewhere else. At first Hermione didn't notice Ron's absences from their study time, but then, after he'd been M.I.A. for three days in a row, she finally took notice.

She and Harry were in the process of taking out their Transfiguration notes when Hermione raised the question "do you know where Ron is?"

Harry looked at her quickly, and then returned his attention to his bag where he was pulling out a book, "oh yeah, he's not gonna come by today."

"Where is he? He hasn't come for the past few days."

"Well, he's err in the library," answered Harry sounding rather awkward.

Hermione was confused, "why's he studying in the library instead of here with us? It's got to be very crowded in there."

"I know, but he's studying with Luna," answered Harry.

"Luna Lovegood? But she's only a sixth year, she's not taking N.E.W.T.s."

"I know but," Harry huffed, "look Hermione, I don't know how you're going to take this, but last week he and Luna kinda started dating."

"Ron and Luna!" Hermione half laughed at the thought.

"Yeah. He was still pissed after everything that happened with Malfoy coming back, and apparently one day he was sitting alone in the Great Hall, and Luna came over and talked with him. He said she was really understanding of what he was feeling, and he really liked that, so he asked her out. They've been seeing each other ever since."

"Oh, wow . . . that's a surprise." Hermione felt rather awkward, "but Harry, why would it matter to me who Ron is dating?"

"I don't know, I guess I just . . . well, I don't know" Harry shrugged.

"Well, I think it's good for him, and for Luna to, I hope they're really happy together." Hermione smile, and added in her thoughts, 'if he's dating her, then he doesn't have any right to be angry with me anymore.'

- - - - - - - -

Now that she knew they were a couple, Hermione began seeing Ron and Luna together practically all the time. In fact it amazed her that it had slipped by her unnoticed before. Then again, she was rather preoccupied with many other more important things, so perhaps it wasn't much of a surprise. She wished she could say that she and Draco had gotten back together as well, however things were pretty much the same between them in the days leading up to N.E.W.T.s as they had been the day after Draco had gotten back. Both Hermione and Draco seemed to have too much pride than to be the first to confront the other, and their stubbornness was killing them. She wouldn't admit it, but she was becoming rather jealous that Ron and Luna were getting along so splendidly while she and Draco were not even speaking to each other.

As the days passed, Hermione found herself getting angrier and angrier every time she saw Draco in class. He seemed to be completely oblivious to her presence, and she never saw him anywhere other than the few classes that they had together. He never came to the Great Hall, and he somehow managed to disappear in the hallways after class so that she couldn't find him to talk to even if she wanted to (which deep down she really did.) The worst part was that even though his behavior was angering her, every time she saw him and did not speak, she felt the pit in her heart grow deeper, and she felt as though she were sinking further down into it each day.

The N.E.W.T.s were set up pretty much the same was as the O.W.L.'s, except that they took place a week earlier. The tests covered everything from their magical education, though they focused mostly on the more advanced information which they had learned in the past two years. The entire seventh year class was studying like crazy once the tests began. Many students could be heard repeating bits of information to themselves as they walked through the hallways.

Hermione, as always, felt that she had under studied, what if there was some line in her notes that she had overlooked or one fact that she had somehow missed during a class lecture? Their first test was Defense Against the Dark Arts, which Hermione was thankful for because with all she had been through and helped Harry with, she was sure she would have no problem on either the practical or the written.

Draco on the other hand was not happy about having Defense Against the Dark Arts first. Since he had gone through most of his Hogwarts career under the assumption that he would never be defending himself against the Dark Arts, he had never bothered to pay much attention. As a result, the two days before the exam he spent holed up in the secret library room. The third day after he had returned to Hogwarts, Draco was already becoming so crazy with all the other Slytherins that he had gone to Dumbledore to request permission to use the secret library room for studying and resting with totally privacy. Dumbledore had granted him permission, and also assured Draco that no one would know where he was.

Draco had not slept all night, nor had he gone to breakfast. He had all his Defense Against the Dark Arts notes and his book out in front of him, making sure he knew the spells, and defenses that were most likely to be on the test, which was to begin in an hour. Draco knew he probably should have tried to sleep, but since his sleep offered no more relaxation than being awake did, he had spent the whole night cramming instead. With all the work he'd done, he figured that as long as he didn't draw a mind blank in the middle of the test, he should do just fine. . .at least that's what he hoped.

With five minutes to go before the exam, Draco finally abandoned his notes, and stomped through the halls to the Great Hall. When he got there, most of the seventh years were already assembled and seated. They were all facing towards the professors table, so no one noticed Draco as he silently slipped passed the doors and took a seat at an empty table in the back row.

An official from the Department of Magical Educational Testing was moderating the exam. At precisely nine thirty, she tapped her wand which caused the test and anti-cheating quills to appear in front of every student, "Begin!" she called, her voice echoed through the otherwise silent room. The echoes were quickly replaced with the shuffling of parchment, and the scratching of quills as the students began their test.

Two hours later, the witch called the test to a halt, and with a wave of her wand, everyone's quills were swept from their hands. There were several groans throughout the room from people who apparently hadn't finished the whole test, but most remained silent. With a second wave of her wand, the witch collected all of the tests into a neat pile at the head table. "Thank you very much," she announced, "Just a reminder, your practical exam will begin precisely at one o'clock. You are dismissed."

There was a collective sigh of relief followed by the scraping of chairs as all the students got up to leave. Hermione turned around beaming and searching for Harry and Ron. But before she saw them, she saw a flash of platinum blonde in the very back of the room, and it was already moving swiftly to the door. Forgetting about her previous desire to discuss the test with her friends, Hermione began attempting to push her way passed everyone in an effort to reach Draco before he disappeared again. But her efforts failed, for when she finally reached the Entrance Hall, there was no sight of him.

She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms over her chest, but was not allowed time to think because Harry and Ron had finally found their way out of the room, and were calling to her. "Hermione I don't think I've ever seen you in such a rush to leave an exam, what happened?"

"Oh nothing, the exam was fine, I guess I was just a bit claustrophobic with all the people crammed together" she lied easily.

Harry and Ron accepted this explanation with no questions, "that wasn't so bad was it?" began Harry, with a smile on his face.

"No it was rather easy if you ask me," added Hermione.

"Well, I wouldn't say easy, but not as hard as I bet the rest will be," said Ron.

Sure enough, the other N.E.W.T.s all seemed much more difficult to the trio than the first on had been (not that that meant Hermione did any less than perfect on any of them). Harry and Ron especially had found the final test, potions, to be truly 'nastily exhausting'. Draco however, found that the rest of the tests were easier than the first on had been, especially the potions test. Overall he thought he did rather well, as good as he could expect given the circumstances he'd been under at least.

- - - - - - -

Once N.E.W.T.s were finally over, all the 7th years felt that they deserved something special, which they got. The day after the final test, was when the yearbook ceremony was scheduled to take place. Everyone was eager to see how it turned out, but perhaps no one more so than Hermione. She was practically skipping with anticipation the entire day before the ceremony.

When it finally came time to set up the Great Hall, Hermione anxiously supervised the prefects, who were stacking all the yearbooks onto two long tables positioned on either side of the entrance to the Great Hall. On the opposite side, on two other long tables, the house elves were sending large assortments of snacks up from the kitchens. All their best sweets, deserts, fruits and vegetables were being sent up for the ceremony. Hermione's heart was beginning to beat faster with every second that passed. Finally, with only five minutes to go until the ceremony was to begin, Hermione shooed the prefects away and began frantically running around perfecting everything. Harry had to yank her away from the books with a surprising amount of force in order to get her to stop

"Hermione! Calm down, everything looks perfect, the yearbook is amazing, just relax, everyone will love it."

"I know, I know, you're right. I'm just so nervous!"

"What's to be nervous about? Everyone will come here, sign yearbooks, eat food, have fun and leave."

In the distance, several voices could be heard steadily growing louder. "Oh my god, here they come!" cried Hermione. She was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she watched the doors like a hawk waiting for the first arrivals.

Parvati, Lavender, Padma, and a couple other Ravenclaw girls were the first to arrive, and they were quickly followed by a group of Hufflepuffs. Everyone grabbed a yearbook as they entered, and immediately began flipping through the pages. Hermione eyes lit up at all the positive reactions she saw.

The ceremony was in full swing and Hermione was standing in the center of the room in a semi-daze when Parvati and Lavender rushed up to her, "Hermione!" they cried, "these are so amazing!"

Hermione blushed, "thanks guys."

"Can you sign ours?"

Oh, yeah sure," Hermione took Parvati's book and opened it to begin writing her message. Parvati's was already filled with signatures and little notes from all her friends. She was about to start when Parvati interrupted.

"Well, don't you want us to sign yours?"

"Oh! Yes, of course, please" Hermione blushed deeper as she handed her book over to Parvati. She was slightly embarrassed by the fact that hers didn't have any messages in it yet.

Parvati grabbed it and almost immediately began scribbling something. Hermione signed Parvati's, Lavernder's. Hannah Abbot's, and Padma's before she realized that she had completely lost track of her own yearbook. Parvati had passed it along once she was finished with it, and now Hermione had no clue who had it.

She searched around the room for Parvati, but there were so many people continually stopping to ask her for signatures that she quickly gave up. After she had signed what felt like her hundredth signature, she spotted Harry and Ron, "hey guys!" she called with a wave.

"Hey Hermione, where's your yearbook? I want to sign it," said Ron, glancing around for Hermione's book.

"I don't know, I lost track of it. I'm sure it will turn up eventually though," Hermione shrugged.

The trio chatted for a bit, but after Harry and Ron left to continue signing yearbooks, Hermione drifted to the side to watch her peers. She was very proud of how successful the yearbooks had turned out, yet something seemed to be nagging at her none the less.

It took her quite a few minutes to realize that she was not just absently watching her classmates, she was systematically scanning the room. She was looking for Draco. The ceremony was nearly over and she hadn't seen him at all. 'He's probably not coming,' she thought with a sigh, 'I don't blame him either.

Hermione had been sure not to include anything regarding the trial in the yearbook supplements, but Draco didn't know that, and she was sure that he would not want a memento of this year. Not after what he had been through. Plus, Draco had never been that interested in the yearbooks anyway. Hermione sighed and tried to find Harry and Ron again instead.

- - - - - - - -

Draco was pacing by the fireplace in the library room. The yearbook ceremony had started over half an hour ago and Draco was still debating over whether or not to make an appearance. If he was honest with himself, he didn't give a shit about the stupid books, nor did he care about getting any bloody signatures in it. But the more he dwelled on it, the more he remembered all the planning he and Hermione had done on them. He recalled the way her eyes had lit up when Dumbledore had first told them the idea. The way she would bounce around excitedly whenever they came up with a good idea. So in the end, with the hope of seeing Hermione's eyes light up that way again driving him, he made his way to the ceremony.

Once he arrived, everyone was so busy mingling and writing meaningless dribble in each other yearbook that no one took any notice of him, which Draco was only too happy with. He took one of the last yearbooks off the tables and retreated to the shadows by the wall. He prowled around the room, wondering more and more with each step what the hell he was doing here. Seeing all his mindless peers mingling with each other was making him sick. Just when he was deciding to leave, he caught glimpse of Hermione. She was standing all alone in the center of the room. Draco froze, she was not mindlessly signing yearbooks, nor was she talking to anyone. She was just standing there, with a look of pride and satisfaction on her face. A rare smile crept onto Draco's face, even from across the room; he could tell that her eyes were sparkling. As he gazed at her, he felt a desperate longing, a need to have those eyes shining back at him.

Draco continued to watch her with a strange feeling of both contentment and sadness until Patil and Brown interrupted Hermione's solitude and got in the way of his view. He sneered, and watched as the girls exchanged yearbooks. Hermione was busy signing other peoples as her own book got passed from person to person. Draco watched and was suddenly struck with an impulse. His eyes remained glued to Hermione's yearbook and he began walking along the wall, following the book's progress. Finally, when it was being signed by one of the Hufflepuffs, Draco stepped out of the shadows, and asked for it. The Hufflepuff absently handed it to him without even looking at him because he was already focusing his attention on another student's yearbook. Draco took the book to the corner of the Hall, removed his quill from his pocket and turned to the last page. Luckily, no one had signed the back yet, so Draco would easily be able to do what he planned without trouble. He took a deep breath, loaded the quill, touched it to the paper and began to write.

It took him a considerable amount of time because he kept pausing to be sure that it was worded in just the right way. It was a rather long note, although at first glance no one would ever know that. No one would know because Draco, upon finishing his message, had bewitched the words to disappear. The only indication that he had written anything at all was a small image of a snake curled up in the bottom corner of the page. Before getting up, Draco touched his wand to the snake to test out the spell. Just as he'd planned, the snake grew, slithered across the page and gradually faded into words to form Draco's message.

Satisfied, Draco wiped the page clean so that once again, only the snake was visible. He moved along the wall towards the entrance and before leaving, placed Hermione's yearbook on the edge of the table so that she could find it again.

- - - - - - - -

"I know!" But I can't find it!" Ron had just asked Hermione for her yearbook again, but she still had no clue where it could be. She was getting rather worried because the ceremony was almost over, and she had expected to find it by now. Wild thoughts of what happened to it were flying through her head. Most centered on the fear that the Slytherins had gotten their hands on it and were playing some sort of cruel joke on her.

"Hey guys, can you all sign mine?" Dean Thomas called over to them from one of the tables by the door.

"Not now, we're helping Hermione find her yearbook!" Harry responded.

"What are you talking about? It's right here!" Dean picked up the book he'd just finished signing and brought it over to Hermione, "it's been sitting on the table for people to sign all night."

"Really?" Hermione couldn't understand why someone would leave it on the table instead of simply giving it back to her.

"Yeah, so can you all sign now?" Dean repeated.

It was only when professor McGonagall came in to shoo everyone back to their common rooms that the ceremony finally ended. Hermione beamed all the way back to the common room because of the success of it. She couldn't wait to read what everyone had written to her. She was so excited, that she barely said goodnight to Harry before she bounced into her room and settled herself into bed in her pajamas. She allowed Crookshanks to settle into her lap as she opened her book.

Reading the notes made her both happy and sad. They reminded her all that she and her friends had gone through, and how much everyone had changed since they first set foot on the Hogwarts Express seven long years ago.

Of course, the person she had witnessed the most change in, hadn't come to the ceremony at all, so there was no message from him. She hadn't really expected to see Draco there, however that didn't prevent her from looking for him occasionally, and it didn't stop her disappointment in not seeing him.

It was rather late now, her eyelids were growing heavy, and her mind was telling her to put the book away and get some well deserved rest. But instead, she was skimming through the notes again, looking at all the names, and rereading her favorites. That's when she noticed it, in the bottom corner of the back page there was a small drawing of a snake. 'What on earth?' Hermione's eyebrows furrowed as she looked closer at the drawing. 'Who would put a snake in my yearbook?' Thoughts of Slytherins hexing her book returned to her mind.

She knew the logical thing to do would be to put the book away and return to it in the morning, but she was so tired that curiosity overcame logic. She lifted her wand from the bedside table and touched the tip to the snake. Almost instantly the spell began to take effect. Hermione jumped and tossed the book out in front of her as the snake grew and began to slither across the page. Her sudden movements had startled Crookshanks, and he grumpily jumped onto the floor, giving Hermione a disgruntled look after he landed.

But Hermione wasn't paying attention to the cat; she was staring at the book with rapt attention. The snake seemed to push the other messages out of its way as it progressed. And then, once the page was clean and all the other messages were jammed to the side, the snake melded into a message. Hermione gasped. It was written in a pristine handwriting that she hadn't seen in ages, but recognized in an instant. "Impossible," she breathed. But before reading the message, her eyes jumped down to the signature, and sure enough it was signed _Draco Malfoy_. She blinked as if afraid to believe what she was seeing was real.

With a sudden desperation, she seized the book and began to read;

_Hermione,_

_I wanted to thank you for what you did. You saved my life and my freedom, and I'll never be able to properly repay you. You have helped me become so much more than I ever thought I could be, you have truly made me into a new and better person. I only hope that someday you can forgive me for all I have put you through, I know you deserve better._

_There is so much more I could say, yet so much that cannot be put into words. But I can see you looking around, and I'm guessing you're searching for this, so I'll leave it before anyone sees me and causes a stir. It just wanted you to know that I sincerely thank you for all that you have done for me._

_Draco Malfoy_

Hermione could feel her heart thudding in her throat, and hot tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. While she was on one hand thrilled that he had written to her, on the other hand she was pained. She knew Draco well enough to read between the lines. In between his thanks you's she could sense the feelings of hopelessness and dejection.

Hermione reread Draco's message and then bit her lip and furrowed her brow. "Enough of this!" she finally burst aloud. 'This is ridiculous tomorrow I am going to find him, I'm going to talk to him, and tell him how I feel!"

* * *

Thank you everyone for being so patient with my slow updates. I'm working hard to make sure that you don't have to wait so long for the upcoming chapters, cause I know everyone hates waiting too long (including me lol). So anyway, I hope everyone liked this chapter, and as always I love getting everyone's feedback so please send a review. Thanks so much!


	25. Chapter 25: Dreamless Sleep

**Disclaimer: **Last time I checked I was still me, and therefore not J.K. Rowling, which means that I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **I hope that the wait for this chapter was more bearable than the wait for the last chapter was. And as usual, all of you reviewers are amazing. You never fail to make me feel good, and more confident in my writing. Thank you so much!

_anIme-prYncess, southernsweetdevil, steelo, Ginny-W13, SweetSummerSun31, I wish your heart was mine, __Chantal J,_ _Sunflower18_ – Thank you all very much for the reviews, I hope everyone likes the latest chapter!  
_Sissified_ – wow, it's awesome to hear you like my story so much. However I'm afraid I cannot make that promise (not for this chapter anyway ;o) ). I hope you like it!  
_Lee_ – I know, it was much too long to wait, sorry 'bout that. The talking is coming soon, so just be patient for a little longer ;o) Thanks for the review!_  
elektra30_ – thank you I'm glad you liked it. lol, the yearbook thing was based on what they did in my school for handing out and signing yearbooks. Although in my school most people got their yearbooks and then left, but if they stayed, there probably would have been mass chaos instead of the minor chaos that there actually was. Anyway, thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_the mask he wears_ – hmm, I hadn't thought of that, Hermione probably wouldn't have waited, but I'll just say it was because it was really late, and she was too tired to get up to do anything . . .lol Way to go fight the power! I'm so happy you like my story that much! Thanks so much for the review!  
_Unknown_ – Thanks for the review! No worries I would never rush a chapter at the expense of quality, I just had a better idea of what I wanted to do for this chapter than I did for the last one. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!  
_Zuvalupa, jesska-14_ – aww thanks! I was a bit worried with how everyone would react to the massage, so I'm glad you it was effective. Thanks for the reviews!  
_Emzgurl_ – wow! I'm so happy that you liked both my stories so far, thanks a lot for the review!  
_Sayaku-chan_ – wow, seriously? That definitely does make me feel good, thank you so much! I'm so happy that you liked it so much (I was like blushing when I read your review, it made me feel so good!) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter away, and thanks again!  
_sprinkles.over.glass_ – platypus' are awesome! lol anyway, it's so cool to think that I inspired you to write a fic (even if it's just a small way, it's still cool.) And after I post this chapter, hopefully I'll have some time to read the update to your fic. Thanks for the review!

Now, here is chapter 25!

* * *

**Chapter 25: Dreamless Sleep**

Hermione was still filled with fiery determination when she woke up the next morning. There was only one problem, she didn't know what to do. Draco seemed to have disappeared from the school altogether ever since classes had ended. Hermione assumed that he spent all of his time in the Slytherin common room, and despite the fact that she knew the password, she couldn't very well just go barging in there to talk to him. The thought was laughable, her going in Slytherin territory would be like throwing a mouse into a snake pit, she'd be lucky to some out alive.

But then again, she hadn't seen him actually with any other Slytherins since he returned. Like Dumbledore had told her the night he returned, Draco seemed to have become a complete recluse. And if that were the case, then he probably wouldn't be hanging around his common room either. 'He could spend his time outside,' she suggested to herself. It seemed like a plausible idea, the weather had been decent enough to stay outside all day. It was slightly colder than usual for this time of the year, but certainly not uncomfortably so, and Draco had never been one to mind the cold.

Hermione was sitting in one of the armchairs in the common room pondering her thoughts regarding Draco's whereabouts when Harry's door opened. "Hey," I just got a note from Hagrid inviting the three of us to go down for tea this afternoon, want to go?"

But Harry received no response whatsoever from Hermione. "Hermione?" He raised his voice slightly, but she still didn't respond. Harry then moved closer, crossed his arms and glared at her in a teasing way. It had been quite a while since he had caught Hermione thinking so hard that she was not conscious of her surroundings. And it always seemed that when she got like this there was only one person to blame for it, however Harry was curious as to why she was thinking so deeply about him now for no apparent reason.

He cleared his throat rather loudly and crossed in front of Hermione to sit on the couch, "What are you so focused on today?"

Hermione snapped out of her thoughts when Harry crossed in front of her and tried to stop the telltale blush from sneaking onto her cheeks, "nothing."

Harry snorted and smiled at her, "yeah right! Come on Hermione I know you better than that. The question isn't who you were thinking about, it's why?"

Hermione gaped at Harry, "have I really become that transparent?"

"We're best friends, of course you have. Now, as your best friend, I demand to know what's up."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and smiled back at Harry, "Did you see Draco at the ceremony last night?"

"No, but then again, it's not like I was looking for him either."

"Well I was looking," Hermione blushed a bit at this confession, but continued anyway, "and I still didn't see him."

"He probably just didn't go . . ."

Hermione shook her head as Harry spoke, "that's what I thought at first too. But then I found a hidden message in my yearbook from him.

"Really?" Harry couldn't help but be curious.

"Yeah, he must have written in it at some point when I lost track of it."

"What'd he say?"

Hermione paused; she wasn't sure how to answer. "I'm sorry Harry, but I'd rather not say. It's not like he said anything secret or private or anything, but, I mean he obviously hid it for a reason, so . . . I don't know how to explain."

Harry nodded. He didn't really understand, but then again, this was Malfoy they were talking about, and nothing seemed to make sense involving him. "Alright, I'm guessing whatever he wrote was a good thing at least?"

"Yeah, I think so . . ."

"You think so?" Again, nothing made sense when Malfoy was involved. Harry didn't bother to concern himself with it, he'd rather not be thinking about the ferret anyway. Because no matter what he said to Hermione, he still couldn't stand Malfoy. "Anyway, want to go visit Hagrid's later?"

"Sure, that'd be great." Hermione was thankful that Harry didn't continue to press the subject, she liked the idea that the message was meant just for her, and she wasn't ready to share it with anyone just yet.

But still, now that Harry knew, Hermione decided that it was best to put her plans of searching for Draco off for a while. She didn't want to seem desperate, or pathetic, or get her hopes up for anything. After all, she reminded herself, nothing in Draco's message had suggested that he wanted to get back together. But then again, the fact that he had taken the trouble to write to her suggested otherwise. 'Why does everything have to be so bloody complicated with him!' she asked herself once her thoughts had finally frustrated her enough.

- - - - - -

Later that afternoon, after the trio had visited Hagrid, Hermione found her chance to search for Draco. Ginny was occupied with her boyfriend, Ron was meeting with Luna, and Harry was off to the quidditch pitch so that Dean and Seamus could take turns riding his firebolt. Normally, Hermione would have felt lonely abandoned and possibly jealous with her friends all otherwise occupied, however, today she was thankful that their plans did not include her.

She began her search outdoors by vaguely scanning the grounds. She saw no sign of Draco, but she did spot a few pairs of students in rather embarrassing positions. Under normal circumstances she would have broken them apart and punished them, however today she was in no mood to bother, so instead of interrupting, she merely walked away.

Once she felt that she had adequately searched the grounds, she moved the hunt inside. But once inside, she had no idea where to look. The best bet would be that he was somewhere in the dungeons. She gulped at the thought. Hermione would never admit to it, but she was rather afraid of entering the dungeons alone, unless it was for classes.

She paced about the Entrance Hall in front of the steps descending into the dungeons, doing her best to muster up the courage to go down there. She knew she was being ridiculous, but she couldn't help her nerves. After several long minutes of pacing and encouraging herself, she stopped at the edge of the stairs. She took a deep breath, lifted her foot and . . . at the last second she chickened out. She whipped around with frustration and bashed right into someone so hard that she had to stumble backwards to maintain her balance.

She looked up, and gasped as she felt a blush setting in, "I'm so sorry professor!"

Professor Dumbledore merely smiled at her, with that familiar twinkle in his eye. "No need to be sorry Miss Granger, I often find myself to lost in my own head to see what it going on around me. Were you visiting the dungeons?"

"No," she answered automatically, "I was just er . . . well I was thinking about it but I didn't."

Dumbledore gave her a knowing smile, "am I correct in guessing that you were hoping to find Mr. Malfoy down there?"

Hermione blushed a brilliant shade of red, and found that she could not meet Dumbledore's gentle gaze.

"You know, shortly after Mr. Malfoy returned, he expressed to me his desire to have one place in the castle where he could be guaranteed complete privacy," said Dumbledore with a meaningful gaze.

Hermione furrowed her brow. She could tell that he was trying to give her a hint, but she was completely baffled as to what it was.

Dumbledore smiled. "It's surprising how difficult it is to find assured solitude in such a large place," he mused, looking thoughtfully at the castle surrounding him. "In order to find true privacy one would have to first find a quiet place . . ." Instantly the library flashed though Hermione's mind, with the exception of her room, that was probably the quietest place in the entire castle. "And" continued Dumbledore, "it would have to be a place that almost no one would know about, perhaps a secret room. . ." Dumbledore smiled slightly and his twinkling eyes cast another knowing glance at Hermione.

Still she was utterly perplexed. 'a quiet place and a secret room,' she thought over and over. 'There is no place quieter than the library' she decided stubbornly. But just as the thought crossed her mind, something clicked and Dumbledore's hint suddenly made sense. "Oh!" she realized out loud, "the room in the library where we brewed the potion last year!" Hermione could not believe she hadn't thought of looking there before.

Dumbledore beamed at Hermione, "It's amazing how you are able to figure such things out without anyone's help Miss Granger," he winked at her.

Hermione nodded, this hint she understood. Dumbledore had probably promised Draco that he would not tell anyone where Draco was hiding, "Thank you professor."

"You are most welcome Miss Granger." Dumbledore paused, "there is still a bit of time before dinner. Plenty of time, for instance, to take a little walk through the castle and perhaps had a chat with a friend."

Hermione smiled and blushed, she could not believe that Dumbledore was able to see through everyone so easily. "Thank you professor, I believe I will take that advice."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together, "well now I must be off, I have some things to discuss with professor Snape." Hermione nodded, and Dumbledore spoke once more before continuing down the stairs, "good luck Miss Granger."

Hermione smiled, "Thanks professor." She watched as professor Dumbledore swept disappeared into the depths of the dungeons, marveling at the quirky old Headmaster, and then she began heading straight for the library.

Now that she was sure that she was going to get to talk to Draco, she found that she had no clue what she was going to say to him. She was so busy trying to work out what to say that she didn't even notice where her feet were taking her. One minute she was watching Dumbledore walk away, the next she was staring at the stacks of books in the library. She approached Madam Pince, the hawk-like librarian and requested a key to the private room, saying that Dumbledore had given her permission.

Madam Pince glared skeptically, but she relinquished the key anyway.

Hermione took the key and crept to the back of the library. It was unusually full due to all the younger years cramming for the last of their exams. But none of them took the slightest notice of Hermione. The closer she tip-toed to the private room, the faster her heart raced. By the time she reached the door, it was pounding with such a force that she was sure it was going to burst through her ribs at any moment. She shivered nervously before raising her hand to knock on the door. She figured that it would be better to give Draco the opportunity to answer before she barged in unannounced.

She knocked and listened hard. But all she could hear was the pounding of her blood in her ears as her heart continued to work in overdrive. Nothing. There was no movement sounding from behind the door. Hermione was terribly disappointed, and indecision plagued her mind. She bit her lip. If she went in, she wasn't sure how he'd react, but at the same time, she couldn't let herself walk away, not now. With mounting trepidation, she slid the key into the lock and turned it. The tiny click sounded terribly loud to Hermione, but all the same she turned the knob and opened the door. 'Here goes nothing' she thought as she stepped inside.

She took a glance around and smiled at what she saw, because it had not been what she had been expecting. She had expected to see Draco surprised at her entrance, and then he would either glare at her angrily, or demand that she leave him alone. But she had not at all been expecting to find Draco sleeping. From a distance he seemed to have bulked up a bit, at least his robes didn't seem to be as baggy as they were the last time she had seen him. She smiled sweetly and stepped closer to look longingly at his peaceful face, but upon closer examination, her sweet smile turned into a concerned frown. Clearly, he was not sleeping soundly at all. His face looked strained, as if he was experiencing something very frightening and or painful. It was then that Hermione realized that he had probably not gotten a decent nights rest since he was put in Azkaban. She wondered exactly what nightmares haunted him in his dreams, what thoughts were robbing him of his precious sleep. She wanted so badly to comfort him. She wanted to hold him and make all the nightmares disappear. She carefully closed the door behind her, and tip-toed over to one of the squashy armchairs. She slid it over to the couch as quietly as she could and then sat down, her gaze still locked on Draco.

Hermione sat and watched him. Besides the fact that his face was pained, and his breathing not entirely relaxed, he seemed to be sleeping alright. But Hermione did not know how long he was going to be sleeping, for all she knew, he could be out for hours. But she had to talk to him, and she didn't want to have to get up the courage to come here again. She looked around, as if something in the room would be able to give her a hint as to what she should do, and what she should say Draco.

On the floor at the side of the couch, she saw Draco's backpack with one pocket slightly open. She snuck a glance at Draco, and then opened the bag. She had decided to write him a note, and was hoping that he had some parchment, ink and quills inside. But as she looked through the books inside she got a better idea. There were three books in Draco's bag, one was his journal, so apparently he had taken to writing in it again, one appeared to be a fictional book, and the third was his yearbook. 'Hmm' she muttered. She hadn't thought that Draco would have wanted to look inside his yearbook, but perhaps she was wrong. She took out the book, and opened the front cover only to find it completely blank. She frowned, and then flipped to the back cover, yet that was completely blank as well. For some reason, that really got her thinking about what life must be like for Draco at the moment. He had murdered his father, and everyone he had considered a close friend was now in Azkaban, well everyone except her. But he didn't have her anymore either. 'He would if he would talk to me' she thought with a tad bit of resentment, but mostly what she felt was pity. She took another glance at him lying on the couch, and then looked through another pocket in his bag for his ink and quill. She unscrewed the top from the ink bottle, and dipped one of Draco's eagle feather quills in it. She touched the quill to the top of the page and began to write. She worded her message very carefully, attempting to mimic his writing style from what she remembered of his message in her yearbook. It took her much longer than it normally would have, but she was happy with the result. Once she was finished with the actual message, she put a spell on it to make it do something similar to what Draco's message had done. In the end, there was a small lion's paw print in the lower corner. She wasn't sure if he'd even notice it, but it was there, and if he didn't find it on his own, she'd find some way to make sure he saw it.

Instead of returning the yearbook to his bag, she put it, on the table, hoping that he would look through it when he awoke. She sat and watched him a bit longer, but he startled her when he started to toss and turn. She was afraid that he would wake up, and now that she had written her note to him, she really felt awkward at the thought of talking to him. But at the same time she didn't want to leave without letting him know she had been there. She quickly rummaged through his bag again for a bit of parchment, and then reloaded his quill with ink to write a quick note. She didn't want to say anything that would reveal how she was feeling, but she wanted him to know that she had been there. Perhaps it would encourage him to talk to her even if he didn't see what she had written in his yearbook, or maybe it would just help him get a decent night's sleep. Draco thrashed and made a pained noise, like a stifled groan, and it caused Hermione to rush through her note without really thinking twice.

_Draco,_

_I stopped by, but you were sleeping. It looks like you could do with some of Madam Pomfrey's dreamless sleep potion. I'm sure Dumbledore would give you permission to take some for a few days at least. Hope you feel better when you wake up, sorry I wasn't there when you did._

_Hermione_

She didn't even have time to reread it, because it felt like Draco was going to wake up any moment, and she didn't think she would know what to say or how to act when he did. But still, it pained her to leave while he was thrashing about on the couch. So with a heavy sigh, she silently got up and exited the room. It took a lot of effort not to turn around and shake him awake, to remove him from whatever nightmare that was haunting him. With a click, the door closed behind her, and with great difficulty, she locked the door. She pocketed the key once she was back in the library, just so she didn't have to ask Madam Pince for it again if she needed it. She was surprised that she was getting so emotional, but she could feel her eyes beginning to well up, the tears threatening to spill over if she allowed them to. She leaned against the door, lifted her head up and blinked several times to prevent the salty tears from escaping. She took a few deep breaths, and then made her way through the library.

- - - - - -

Draco remained tossing and turning on the couch a good ten minutes after Hermione locked the door behind her. But finally, after one particularly violent jerk, he startled himself awake. His face was covered in a film of cold sweat and he was breathing hard. He ran his hands through his hair, and then turned so that he was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He had had that nightmare again. It was the same nightmare he had had every night since he had been caught, the night he broke free from the imperius curse. Sometimes it was clearer than others, at the best times, his heart only sped up a little, and he just saw flashes of light. But on the worst, he could see everything as crystal clear as if he was experiencing it all over again. Only, in his dreams, he could see himself, and he could see her. The fear and sadness in her face was unmistakable in his nightmare, as was the fear in his eyes, he thought he was going to die, and he thought she was going to die as well.

Today had been one of the worst nightmares he'd had since he had been freed from Azkaban. But today had been different, he had felt a presence, it was almost as if she had really been in his dream rather than just an image of her. It was rather disturbing.

After a few minutes where he managed to regain control of his breathing and heart rate, he leaned his head back, and closed his eyes so that he was facing the ceiling. He couldn't continue like this, he was going crazy. He hated it here in this school, surrounded by so many pathetic students who were worrying about the most trivial things in the world as if they were really important. He didn't understand why professor Dumbledore hadn't allowed him to go home after the N.E.W.T.s had finished. What was the purpose of making him stay? It's not like he went anywhere other than the dormitory, the Great Hall, and this room, and he didn't even go to the Great Hall during the busy times. He never spoke to anyone, so what was the point? He was going to be miserable no matter where he was. But at least in the Manor he could escape the thoughts of her. That was what he tried to make himself believe anyway. At least there he wouldn't be reminded of her every time he glanced over at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, or every time he stepped into the solitude of the private room he was now occupying. But even in his frustration he knew that he would never be able to escape the thought of her, or of that night, for it would always haunt him in his sleep. He feared it would haunt him forever, and he couldn't bear that thought.

He groaned, and he felt a definite gurgle in his stomach. He had skipped both breakfast and lunch, and he wasn't sure he could hold out until everyone else left the Great Hall to get dinner. He reprimanded himself for being so stupid and skipping the earlier meals, he did not want to be around all the happy excitement that the majority of the student body had been contaminated with lately. He finally opened his eyes, and sat normally. Instantly he noticed something, there was a scrap of parchment laying on the table next to his yearbook. He couldn't recall leaving his yearbook out, but he couldn't recall much of anything anymore, so it didn't strike him as overly odd. With a wary gaze and furrowed brow, he cautiously picked up the parchment. He really did not like the thought that someone had been in here while he was asleep, no one was supposed to know he was here except for Dumbledore. Hell, no one was even supposed to know about this place at all!

He read the note. It seemed to have been written in a hurry, but still there was no mistaking her tiny handwriting, plus she had signed it. So she had been there. She had seen him sleeping, and it had been obvious to her that he was not having pleasant dreams. He could not decide whether he liked the thought of her seeking him out or not. He couldn't gather much from her note as to her purpose for being there. What could she possibly want to say to him? Why on earth would she want to talk to him? After all she had been through with him; he would have thought she would have wanted nothing more to do with him, ever. But he should have known not to underestimate Hermione's tenacity and stubbornness by now. If he were completely honest with himself, he would admit that he would love to talk to her again. To know what she was thinking, to know if she could ever forgive him. Subconsciously, his right hand touched his left forearm, the spot where his Dark Mark still existed, as blood-red and ugly as ever. Despair flooded through him. No, how could she ever forgive him as long as _that_ was still there? It would always be there, and there was nothing he could do about it. Every day he saw it, it only served to remind him of the horrors of that night. How could she ever forgive him, when he couldn't even forgive himself?

Still, her note did bring a tiny flicker of hope to him. He had been so busy wallowing in his own pain that he never once considered asking for the dreamless sleep potion. He folded Hermione's note and dropped it into his pocket. He stood, deciding that he'd first ask Madam Pomfrey for the potion, and then he'd go to the Great Hall and fill his ravenous stomach.

The Hospital Wing was relatively close to the Great Hall, so he could hear the loud chatter of hundreds of voices as he walked through the halls. The sound made him sick. With a sneer, he opened the door, and stepped inside. The noise was thankfully cut down to a low mumble as soon as the door closed. Madam Pomfrey heard the sound of her door opening and closing and she poked her head out of her office. She hurriedly bustled to Draco when she saw him, "Mr. Malfoy, is there a problem?"

"Yes, I haven't been sleeping well, and I was wondering if I might be able to have a few doses of your dreamless sleep potion to take before I go to sleep at night," answered Draco monotonously.

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips, "I shall have to ask professor Dumbledore what he thinks, it is not a potion I prefer to hand out to students without good reason."

Draco made no response. The medi-witch returned to her office, and after a moment, bustled back in. She went over to a cabinet, unlocked it and took out what Draco presumed to be the dreamless sleep potion. She filled a few small glass beakers with the liquid, and then brought them to Draco. She handed them to him with an expression that clearly indicated that she thought giving the potion to him was a very bad idea. He took them, there were five in all, he moved them to the pockets of his robes.

"Now," ordered Madam Pomfrey, "You are to take one of these per night right before you go to sleep. Only take it if you feel you really need it because I will not be giving you any more for at least a week, and only take one per day because if you take any more, there is a danger that you could fall into a coma. Is that understood?"

Draco nodded. Though the thought of being in a coma was almost welcome in his mind at the moment, he decided that he would see how he felt in the morning after taking one of them, then he'd decide if he wanted to risk the coma by taking them all at once if he felt no better. He turned and exited the room; once again the rush of loud cheery voices consumed him upon entering the hall. He couldn't deal with that many people at the moment, no matter how hungry he was, so instead of heading towards the Great Hall, he turned the other direction back to the library. He walked unusually slow hoping that by the time he returned to the Great Hall, most of the other students will have left.

- - - - - -

"Hermione!" called Harry when Hermione entered the Great Hall and sat down next to her friends. "Where were you before, we were looking everywhere!"

"Yeah," agreed Ginny, "and don't tell us you were studying cause you have nothing to study for anymore!"

Hermione smiled and let out a hollow laugh. "I was just taking a walk around the school. I can't believe that our final year is almost over." She said sadly. In truth, she really was upset about leaving school at the end of the month, so it wasn't really a lie . . . at least that's what she told herself.

"Aww, Hermione," Harry said comfortingly, "that's why you should just spend the rest of the month enjoying yourself with the rest of us. So we can make this last couple weeks the best!"

"Yeah," agreed Ron, "then think about all the stuff we're going to do once we graduate and have jobs and stuff."

The thought of having a job, made Hermione gulp. She had no doubt that she would succeed, but still, it was completely new to her and she was nervous. She had a far-off look in her eye and a melancholy expression on her face. She really didn't want to think about leaving school, at the moment mostly because she felt that if things remained as they presently were, then she may never get to speak to Draco again.

"Can we talk about something else?" pleaded Ginny, "I don't want to think about what I'm going to do next year without you guys here!"

"Aww Ginny!" said Hermione, giving her friend a hug, "I'm sure you'll be alright."

There was a long pause between the four of them, until Ron finally broke the silence. "So what do you guys want to do tonight?" he asked.

"Well _I_ still have studying to do," said Ginny enviously.

"Ok, so what do you two want to do?" repeated Ron to Harry and Hermione.

Hermione shrugged, her attention still was not entirely focused on what was going on in the Great Hall. In the background of her thoughts she heard Harry and Ron discussing idea for things to do that night, but she wasn't listening to what they were saying. The worst part was that she couldn't even focus her thoughts on one particular thing. Her worry about what she was going to do after school, her sadness about leaving Hogwarts, all her different thoughts concerning Draco, were all swirling ceaselessly within her head like memories in a pensieve.

After a while, in which Hermione had apparently eaten her dinner, though she couldn't even remember what she had, Ginny had left to continue studying for exams. Around her, the younger years had all been steadily and reluctantly trickling out to resume studying. Many of the seventh years however remained chatting with one another, enjoying their leisure time. "What do you think Hermione?"

"Huh? What?" she snapped her attention to Harry and Ron.

The two boys laughed, "You coming to Hagrid's with us after dinner?"

"Oh yeah, that's a great idea," she agreed.

"Excellent," said Ron with a smile, "we'll leave after desert."

Hermione was stunned at the amount of food boys could eat. They had both eaten full meals, and now they were piling their plates with desert foods. She wrinkled he nose distastefully, and laughed at her best friends. She was just sitting and watching them eat when in the background, she saw one of the doors of the Great Hall open. Her eyes went wide as she saw Draco enter. It had been so long since she'd seen him in the main part of the school that she had convinced herself he had been getting meals delivered to him separately by the house-elves. Yet there he was, he was too far away to get a good look at, but he wasn't walking with the confident swagger she remembered at all, yet at least he was awake. She watched him as he walked over to the Slytherin table, he didn't look around at all. He took a seat at the end, on the side facing the Gryffindor table, and dropped his backpack at his side. But he didn't look up towards the Gryffindors; instead he held his head down toward his food the entire time.

Hermione tried her best not to stare, but she was curious, had he seen her message in his yearbook? Would he talk to her? What was he thinking? These and dozens of other questions popped into her mind as she watched him. But if he felt her eyes on him, he did not acknowledge them, which disappointed her. She felt like he was ignoring her existence, it wasn't fair for him to be treating her this way when all she wanted to do was to talk to him, and see if there was still anything between them. 'Don't be angry with him Hermione,' she cautioned herself. 'You have no idea what he's been through since he was arrested.'

'Well I would if he would just talk to me!' another part of her mind argued.

She sighed with frustration, she hated having these internal debates with herself, they always left her so confused. "Hermione, everything ok?" asked Harry, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled unconvincingly, "you guys ready to go?" She suddenly found herself eager to be anywhere but there.

Harry snuck a glance to where Hermione had been looking, and then he nodded, "yeah, we can go." He understood that she wanted to get away from the sight of Malfoy, although he couldn't understand why. He knew that she still liked him, but he seemed to be completely unreachable, like he might as well have been on an entirely different planet. "Come on Ron," urged Harry, "let's go see Hagrid."

"Alright," he agreed with his mouth full, having completely missed the unspoken understanding that had passed between Harry and Hermione.

Hermione smiled thankfully and the trio walked out of the Great Hall.

- - - - - -

Draco had indeed felt Hermione's eyes watching him from the moment he entered the Great Hall. But he couldn't trust himself to look at her. He was afraid that if he did so, he'd never be able to look away. So he had forced his head down the entire time, until he had heard them getting up to leave. Then he had raised his head. He watched her and her two friends exiting, and as he did so a nearly irrepressible urge of longing swept over him. He wanted so badly to talk to her, but he did not know what to say. He wanted so much to be with her, but he didn't know if she felt the same. He had allowed some of his emotions to break through their barrier when he had written in her yearbook, yet he couldn't even be certain that she had seen it. He dropped his fork to his plate with a clang; he rested his elbows on the table and held his head in his hands.

Up at the professors table, a certain Headmaster watched the young Slytherin with interest. He had seen the look in his eyes when he watched the Gryffindors leave. He reasoned that Hermione had not actually gotten to speak with him. Judging by the fact that he had gone to Madam Pomfrey for sleep potion, he figured that he must have been asleep when the Head Girl had gone to see him.

It was difficult for him sometimes to watch the world of his students going on without interfering. He rarely found himself concerned with the love lives of any of his students. But then again, every once and a while a couple would come along that he found himself interested in. Hermione and Draco had been one of those couples because their relationship had always seemed so impossible. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin, a muggle-born, who was determined to help rid the world of Dark wizards, and a pure-blood who was destined from birth to be a Death Eater. Even Dumbledore in all his optimistic glory would never have believed it possible.

It was painfully obvious to the Headmaster that the two still wanted to be together, yet something was stopping them both. Clearly they were wary of each other. Every time they got close, something would happen to tear them apart. But now the cause of all their past problems, the one responsible for all their pain was dead. They should be together. Dumbledore was sure of that, but it seemed as if they would have to figure it out for themselves, and he would have to leave them alone. It was hard, but in this case, it had to be done.

Draco only stayed in the Great Hall long enough to finish a small dinner. He could now feel another set of eyes on him coming from the professors table, and he had a pretty good idea who they belonged to. But he didn't look up to check, he still couldn't believe he had allowed the crazy old man to convince him to return to Hogwarts. But then again, he had been in such a zombie-like state ever since his name was cleared that he supposed he could have been convinced to do just about anything.

Draco exited the Great Hall, and went straight down the stairs to the dungeon. He said the password to the Slytherin common room, and walked inside. No one looked up when he entered. Thankfully, in Draco's opinion, his housemates had chosen to ignore him ever since he returned. He couldn't determine whether it was out of disappointment in the once Slytherin Prince, or if it was out of fear. Yet he found that he didn't care, the less attention they paid him, the better. He made his way up to the seventh year boys dormitory, which was now nearly empty since Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle were in Azkaban. Even so, Draco closed the bed hangings all around him. He changed out of his robes and took one of the glass bottles out of his backpack. He downed the dreamless sleep potion in one gulp, and almost instantly he felt the relief of complete relaxation sweeping through him. He lay back on his pillows and closed his eyes. For the first time he could remember, he fell into a state of complete relaxation, a completely dreamless sleep.

* * *

As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have the next chapter just about finished, so hopefully the next update will be quick (unless other responsibilities get in the way). Anyway, I look forward you your comments, so please send a review! Thanks a bunch! 


	26. Chapter 26: By the Lake

**Disclaimer: **Same old story, I'm not J.K. Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **Several people have been asking me how many chapters are left in this fic, so, including this chapter, I think there are only three left. Sad I know, I'll miss working on this fic, but it will also be cool to see it finished, so hopefully everyone will like the rest of it. A couple people also asked if I was going to make this a trilogy and, the thought has crossed my mind a few times. So, if I can organize my ideas into a decent and unique plot (I wouldn't want it to be too clichéd), then perhaps there will be another sequel. However, right now I am working on a separate fic (also HG/DM), so since I've already kinda started that one, I will be posting that before anything else, but I'll tell you more about that later.

Now it's time to thank all the lovely people who reviewed chapter 25!

_huga, stranger who loves your story, dracosgirl_2007– that's so cool that you alllike my stories so much! So thank you for the reviews, and I hope you all like this chapter!  
_Scorpiogrrll _– I hope you had fun on vacation! And no worries, I've been having plenty of fun this summer, playing tennis and stuff :o) Anyway, thank you for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_Sayaku-chan _– lol I don't think it's giving anything away to say that yes, he does look in the yearbook, and I hope you like what happens when he does (although it won't happen this chapter.) Thanks for the review!  
_Sissified_ – yeah, it is really sad for Draco, he's very lonely. And I think I would have to die of embarrassment if my headmaster interfered with my love life lol. Of course, none of my headmasters were ever as cool as Dumbledore . . . . Anyway, thanks for the review!  
_Lee_ – nope, no fight from Ron, now that he's got another girlfriend, he doesn't care so much anymore, so there doesn't seem to be much need for a fight with him. Sorry if that disappoints you, but still, thanks for the review.  
_Zuvalupa, __Chantal J, __jesska-14, Sunflower18, melia, openhearted_– Thank you for the reviews, I'm so glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you all like this chapter too!  
_comedy gal _– lol like I said in the A/N I'll do what I can about making a trilogy, but in the meantime, I'm so happy that you like my story so much! I like the challenge of making a DM/HG romance seem possible, even if it will never happen, so I'm glad you think I've pulled it off. Thanks for the review!  
_Steelo_ – lol I hope the update didn't keep you waiting too long! And I think you'll find them slightly less stupid in this chapter (emphasis on the slightly). Thanks for the review!  
_Cappuccino and Kittens _– I just have to say, I think your penname is awesome. lol thank you very much for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!

_elektra30_ – holiday homework, what torture! I'm glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for the review. And I hope you get a chance to update your fic soon, cause I'm looking forward to more! ;o)  
_dancerfreak1991 _– why thank you:o) it's so nice to hear that you like both the stories. I hope you like this chapter as well, and thanks for the review!

And now, for your reading pleasure, here's chapter 26!

* * *

**Chapter 26: By the Lake**

Draco awoke very late the next morning. It took him a good couple of minutes to fully emerge from his sleep. He pulled open the bed hangings to see the sun pouring into the dormitory which, with the exception of Aries, was completely empty. He had never thought it would feel so good to get a proper nights' sleep. For the first time in months he was actually in a relatively good mood. He felt like he should get out and do something today. Maybe he'd go flying, or just walk around the lake. It was such a nice day; he was definitely planning on going outside. He couldn't remember the last time he wanted to go outside and do any of the things he used to love to do.

He smiled at Aries and stroked his feathers, "good morning" he said. Then as he stroked the bird a thought came to him, "think you can deliver a quick note for me?" he asked.

Aries hooted eagerly. Draco pulled out a piece of parchment and ink, and scribbled a quick note. He didn't address or sign it, but he figured that he didn't need to. He handed the note to Aries, who took it in his beak, awaiting instructions. "Drop this off with Hermione," Draco said simply.

Aries ruffled his feathers to indicate that he understood. He then spread his wings, and took off out the window. Draco watched him until he turned and flew out of sight around the castle. He then prepared for a long hot shower, looking forward to a day where he might actually enjoy himself.

- - - - - -

Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were in the Great Hall eating breakfast. Ginny was cramming last minute for her transfiguration final, which was taking place that morning. Harry and Ron were planning on going to play some quidditch later, and Hermione was going to go watch them since it was such a nice day out, then after that the three of them were walking down to Hogsmeade to have lunch at Three Broomsticks. They all looked up when the post owls arrived. Hedwig landed in front of Harry, just for a visit. She gladly nibbled on the scraps of breakfast he offered her.

Hermione was watching Hedwig when a letter fell right in front of her. She looked up and around for the owl that had delivered it, but she could not determine which owl it had been since there were so many of them flying around. There was no addressee on the letter, and Hermione wondered if it had even been meant for her. With a shrug, she unfolded it. There was no name in it, but there didn't need to be, Hermione knew exactly who it was from, and even in its simplicity, it brought a smile to Hermione's face.

_Thanks for the advice, last night was the first decent sleep I've had in months._

She reread the letter, and then quickly looked up at the Slytherin table. He wasn't there, but that didn't surprise her. With or without sleep, she figured that he probably still wasn't keen to be around this many people yet. 'Baby steps' she thought. 'First we'll make sure that he's recovering well, get him to sleep well without the potion, then we'll work on integrating him into larger groups again.' Hermione found herself already planning steps for Draco's recovery, and she didn't even know if he would be willing to talk to her again, let alone follow any plan of hers.

But he had taken her advice, and he had thanked her, so he couldn't be completely opposed to it. 'Maybe I'll take another visit to the library room later today,' she decided, 'he'll probably be awake this time if he really did sleep well.' With the idea of perhaps finally talking to Draco again later in the day to occupy her mind, she left with Harry and Ron to the quidditch pitch with a smile on her face.

- - - - - -

Once his shower was finished, Draco decided to skip breakfast, and instead go straight down to the quidditch pitch. He was unusually eager to fly considering the mood he'd been in recently, so he slung his broom over his shoulder, and purposefully made his way through the common room. A few people watched him curiously as he passed, but no one said anything, instead they simply looked up and then returned their attention to their studies.

Thankfully, the quidditch pitch was empty when Draco arrived. He mounted his broom and kicked off. The exhilaration flowed through his veins as his broom carried him higher into the sky. At first he flew smoothly, with his eyes closed, concentrating on the warmth of the sun on his pale skin and the feel of the wind through his hair. He felt almost as if he were being reborn, as if the flight was taking him away from one life and into another, one where he could be whatever he wanted to be. It was an awesome feeling. He opened his eyes, and sped up, so that he was flying as fast as his Nimbus 2001 would take him. All he could hear was the rush of wind speeding past his ears; he could barely keep his eyes open the wind was hitting him so hard in the face. He shifted his broom so that he was speeding up a vertical incline, high above the highest quidditch stands. He leveled off, and took a look around.

He could see everything from here, and if he'd been in the proper mood it would have been time for reflection. However, he was not in the mood for that, he wanted thrills, to feel his blood pumping through him and rejuvenating his body. He went into a dive, pulling out only feet from the ground. It provided a much needed rush of adrenaline, and he even smiled for the first time in a long time. He moved to climb up into the air again, but his enjoyment was quickly put on pause.

As he began to climb, before he had gotten to a decent speed, he heard voices. Three of them, and he didn't need to see them to know who they were. Potter, Weasley . . . and Hermione. Draco's heart suddenly began racing. He didn't know what do to if he saw her again. And though he wanted to see her, he definitely did not want to see Potter or Weasley again, he had to get away.

"I'll just go up into the stands while you guys get the balls," Draco heard Hermione say.

'Shit,' he thought. He couldn't get out on foot, they might see him; he'd have to fly over the stands. He sped up, heading away from the Gryffindors. He flew over the stands and landed outside the pitch on the edge of the Forest. Once he landed he took the time to slow his breathing. 'So much for a day outside alone' he thought angrily. He should have known that the Gryffindors would somehow manage to ruin it for him.

He turned back to the pitch, by now he could hear Potter and Weasley were tossing the quaffle to each other, and having what should have been his good time. He sighed dejectedly, and carried his broom over his shoulder. He stomped over to the lake, and took a seat on one of the rocks by the edge of the water. The giant squid was waving its tentacles lazily along the surface causing gentle ripples to disrupt the smooth surface of the water. It should have been a very peaceful and relaxing scene, but Draco's disrupted thoughts were miles away.

- - - - - -

Hermione had skipped up the steps with, what else, but a book in her hand. Before coming to the pitch, she had gone back to the common room with Harry. He retrieved his firebolt, and she picked up a book, and Crookshanks. She decided that since it was such a nice day, she would let him run around outside for a change. And the book, well she got that because she figured that at least she could read a bit while the boys were flying. It wasn't like it was a textbook; it was just the book Draco had given her for Christmas. She was really glad that she had decided against throwing it away after all, because she really liked a lot of the stories in it, and she was only halfway through.

At the quidditch pitch, she sat down in one of the benches, but before she got to open her book, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. It looked like something, or more likely someone, flying over the stands on the side of the pitch. She blinked and shook her head, wondering if she were just seeing things. She saw Harry and Ron enter the pitch, but she didn't pay them any attention, instead she headed up to the top of the benches so she could see if anyone was on the grounds.

She scanned the grounds for a moment with a curious frown; but did not see anyone, she had been so sure that she had seen something. Hermione was staring blankly towards the lake when he came walking into her field of vision. She gasped, so she had seen someone, and amazingly enough, that person was Draco. She couldn't believe it. 'Maybe this means he's feeling better,' she thought hopefully. She watched him walk all the way to the lake, and settle himself at the water's edge. She had to talk to him, she turned, dropped her book on the bench, and without even telling Harry or Ron, she flew down the stairs.

Once on the ground, Hermione slowed, she still didn't know exactly what she was going to say, but that didn't seem to matter so much as long as she said something. She moved as quietly as possible, she didn't want to startle him by approaching too fast or too loudly. Whether or not Draco heard her approaching footsteps, she could not be sure, but he seemed not to have as he made no movement to turn around. She was a couple yards behind him when she decided to speak. Her heart was pounding, and her nerves were almost making her shake visibly. She took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and spoke in just above a whisper, "Draco?"

He jumped as if she had shouted his name. He jerked around, clearly very startled. Hermione took a frightful step back; she didn't want him to be mad at her. She was looking at him with an expression half filled with caution and half filled with eagerness.

Draco stared at her, his expression was unreadable. He had not yet lost the haunted look that Azkaban brought about in its prisoners. "Hermione," he breathed, trying to calm himself from the shock of seeing her, "what are you doing here?"

His tone allowed her to relax a little. He was did not seem angry with her for interrupting his alone time, surprised yes, but angry no. She took a few careful steps towards him as she spoke, "I saw you fly out of the quidditch pitch," Draco turned his head away, and Hermione bit her lower lip, "I'm sorry we interrupted your flying."

"Thanks," he muttered, he was now facing the lake again, and Hermione didn't know whether to move closer, or if he just wanted her to leave. She opted for the moving closer option, so she took a few more steps until she was to the side and slightly behind Draco. "I got your letter," she said. But Draco made no response, "So does that mean that you took the dreamless sleep potion?"

Draco nodded wordlessly.

Hermione took a seat next to Draco. She was sure to leave adequate space in between them because she did not want to scare him away or make them both uncomfortable. All she wanted at the moment was for him to know that he had a friend. "I'm really glad to see you outside. I was really worrying about you."

"You were?" Draco asked, finally turning his gaze to her.

Hermione looked into his eyes, "yeah," she said earnestly. "I almost thought . . ." she trailed off, for some reason unable to complete her sentence.

Draco frowned, "almost thought what?"

She looked down at the water, and spoke quietly, "I almost thought I would never get to see you again."

Draco's heart sped up a bit, and he was stunned, "you _wanted_ to see me?"

Hermione whipped her head up so that it was again facing him, "Of course I did."

Draco slowly looked away so that now he was looking at the water, "I would have thought . . . after everything . . ." He paused to take a breath, "I would have though that you would want nothing more to do with me."

Hermione could hear the despair in his voice even if the wall blocking his emotions didn't allow it to show through, she shifted a bit closer to him and rested her hand on his, "Draco, I know now that it wasn't you. I know you were under imperius, I'm only sorry I didn't believe you after the initiation or during the trial." She said guiltily.

She could feel Draco tense at mention of the initiation and the trial, and she quickly removed her hand. It wasn't an angry tension, but it did close him off further. And it nevertheless frightened Hermione a little. "Draco I know you must be feeling like you're completely alone right now. So I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you when you need a friend. I will always be there for you."

Draco's insides both swelled and shrunk at the same time. She wanted to be his friend. It was both a happy and sad thought to him. Happy because he needed a friend, even though he would never in his life admit it. Sad because he wondered if that was all they would ever be able to be without driving each other mad and endangering each others lives. He looked at her, and despite the sadness deep inside, he attempted to smile. He only managed a small grin for barely a second, but that small gesture caused her to beam at him, her chocolate eyes were sparkling.

Hermione now felt brave enough to make a stab at having a somewhat normal conversation. "So, what have you been doing since the N.E.W.T.s ended?"

Draco was very relieved to get off the subject of the trial and Azkaban. "You pretty much saw what I've been doing most of the time yesterday."

Hermione frowned, "well then I'm definitely glad to see you outside. Did you have fun flying . . . You know, before we came and ruined it for you?"

Draco let out an empty sort of laugh, "yeah, yeah I did." he looked out over the lake, "it felt like I was just flying away from everything, to an entirely different place away from my life."

"Sounds like an amazing feeling," said Hermione thoughtfully, she was watching him even though he wasn't looking at her. It felt so good to be talking to him again, even if that's all that they were going to do for a while, it was worth it.

"It was," he answered, directing his gaze on the quidditch pitch. Hermione followed it, and saw the small figures of Harry and Ron zooming around obliviously.

They sat for a long time in silence. It was a comfortable sort of silence. The kind of silence you can have with a close friend and still feel like you spent a meaningful time together. It was comforting for them both, to know that they still felt relatively at ease around each other. Hermione closed her eyes, and held her head up to the sun with a smile. Draco meanwhile, had taken to lying down on the ground; he had his hands over his eyes, because the sun was bright even with his eyes closed. The warmth around him comforted him, although he wasn't sure if it was more due to the sun, or because of Hermione's close proximity.

After a while, Hermione began to hear a strange thumping sound. At first she thought it may have been her heart, but it was definitely something else, and it was getting steadily louder. She opened her eyes and looked around, and along the water's edge, she saw what could have been a small tiger charging towards them. "Crookshanks no!" she shouted. But Crookshanks did not stop. He took a huge leap and landed square on Draco's chest.

Draco opened his eyes when Hermione shouted, but did not have time to look around before the wind got knocked out of him by Crookshanks the feline cannonball. Draco sat up and lifted the cat off his chest, coughing and sputtering in an attempt to regain his breath. Crookshanks meanwhile, rubbed his head against Draco, and then settled contentedly in Draco's lap, seemingly prepared for a long cat nap while basking in the sun.

Hermione was smiling wide at the sight. Crookshanks' approval was definitely good enough for her. Draco, after catching his breath, stroked Crookshanks' fur with the back of his hand. "I seem to remember being mauled and nearly ripped to shreds by this thing the last time I saw it," he recollected. The memory was much more lighthearted now that the incident was in the past.

Crookshanks looked up innocently at him, Hermione laughed, "he seems to think you're back to yourself now."

"Well," said Draco with playful sarcasm, "I'm glad to know I finally got the damn cats approval again." He grinned, and Crookshanks rested his head on Draco's knee.

Hermione scratched Crookshanks' head and he began purring happily. For a moment, the wall had disappeared, and she had seen the same Draco she had fallen in love with, 'he is still in there' she thought hopefully. Draco turned and saw the way Hermione was looking at him. He was immediately put on guard again; he gave her a wary look, "what?"

"Nothing," she assured calmly. She directed her gaze back towards the lake, she was a bit disappointed that Draco had so quickly shut himself away again, just when he had been opening up to her. Inwardly she sighed; she supposed it would take quite a lot of patience to get him to open up to her again.

After a few more moments of silence, Draco lifted Crookshanks off his lap and stood up stretching. "Are you leaving?" Hermione asked, as she quickly stood up as well.

"No, I just need to stretch out or something, I haven't been moving around too much lately," answered Draco.

"Oh, well, do you want to walk around the lake or something?"

"Yeah, sure."

One would think that a long walk would provide ample time for thinking about things that needed to be thought about in one's life. However, with Hermione walking next to him, all Draco could to was try to force himself not to think about her. The grounds were so quiet and peaceful, she was so close to him that occasionally their arms would brush up against each other. Several times he thought about capturing her hand in his, and begging her to forgive him. But something was stopping him, something inside him was making it impossible for him to be honest with her, and he hated it.

He had taken to watching Crookshanks, who had decided to join them on their walk, in an effort to distract himself from the amazing girl walking next to him. The cat was pouncing at birds, sniffing strange flowers, and otherwise just romping round the waters edge.

Draco snuck a side glance at Hermione; she was gazing out across the water, with a peaceful look on her face. The wind was blowing her hair in her face, and the sun was bringing out all the colors in her eyes, she was so beautiful he could hardly stand it. They sometimes chatted as they walked, usually talking about something they saw, or something Crookshanks did. It seemed as if both of them were nervous about speaking about anything other than the present. However, most of the walk was spent in silence. Draco had retreated too far behind his protective shield to venture into much conversation. Hermione on the other hand, would have loved to talk, but she saw that it would only push Draco further away if she tried to draw him out too quickly. If she wanted him to come out from behind his wall, she would have to be patient and let him decide when he was ready to be the old Draco again.

When they returned back to their starting point, Hermione sighed happily, "that was fun. I love taking walks like that, especially around here where everything's so beautiful."

"Yeah, it's nice," agreed Draco.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted before she could.

"Hermione!" Harry called from the entrance to the quidditch pitch. He and Ron had found her book in the stands, but saw no sign of her, and it was time to leave for Hogsmeade.

"Hermione where are you?" shouted Ron.

"Oh," gasped Hermione, blushing slightly and avoiding Draco's eyes, "I forgot, Harry, Ron and I are going to Three Broomsticks."

Draco nodded.

"It was really nice seeing you again Draco."

"It was nice seeing you again to." Draco answered, looking directly at her eyes, which were still trying to avoid him.

"Do you think, we could get together again tomorrow? Maybe take another walk or something?" Hermione finally looked at him, and instantly got lost in the pools of silver staring back at her.

Draco smiled, "I'd like that."

"Hermione! What are you doing? It's time to go!" Harry and Ron had finally spotted Hermione's bushy hair and they were now walking towards her.

Hermione didn't acknowledge them just yet, instead she said to Draco, "Good, I'll see you then sometime tomorrow afternoon alright?"

"Sure," Draco agreed, and then looked up at her incoming bodyguards.

Hermione turned back, and saw them incoming rather quickly, "tomorrow then," she said to Draco, before turning and running away to head off Harry and Ron.

Draco turned away as Hermione left with her friends. He bent down to pick up his broomstick, and found Crookshanks sitting next to it. "Do you think you're spending all day with me or something?"

Crookshanks stood up and meowed. Draco rolled his eyes, and decided to let the cat do whatever it pleased, even if it involved stalking him all day.

Draco skipped lunch and spent the entire day outside, wandering around rather aimlessly. He spent a lot of time flying his broomstick around the outskirts of the castle grounds. A couple times his mind urged him to fly over to Hogsmeade, but he knew that even if he found Hermione there, nothing good could come of any interaction with her friends, so in the end, he resisted the urge. He had only been joking when he asked the cat if it was going to follow him around all day, but Crookshanks did in fact seem to stalk him the entire time. However, rather than be annoyed as he usually might have been, Draco found he enjoyed the company. Sure, it was just a cat, but it was Hermione's cat, and if he couldn't spend the day with her, spending it with her cat wasn't so bad (at least that's what he told himself.)

Draco went inside rather early for dinner, Crookshanks followed and sat at his feet while he ate. Draco wasn't entirely sure that cats were allowed in the Great Hall, but since no one said anything, and Crookshanks wasn't bothering anyone, he didn't stress over it. The energy he'd spent walking and flying around all day had encouraged him to eat a much larger dinner than he had been recently (although skipping lunch may have had something to do with it as well.) He passed scraps to Crookshanks as he ate, and then when he was finished, the two retreated to the library room.

Once there, Draco lay down on the couch and allowed Crookshanks to jump up onto his stomach and lie down. For a long time he lay there, thinking hard and stroking Crookshanks' ginger fur. Finally, he stopped petting the cat. He lifted his left arm so that the sleeve of his robes dropped down to reveal the Mark, he then voiced the question that had been plaguing him all day, "Do you think she could ever like me again?"

He looked at Crookshanks as if expecting an answer, but the cat just looked blankly back at him, and swatted at his hand, demanding that Draco continue petting him. "How could she as long as I'm branded with this?" Draco demanded, again seeming to expect an answer from Crookshanks.

But the cat, just rubbed his head against Draco's arm and meowed as if giving a command. He looked at Draco more sternly than should be allowed from a cat, and meowed again.

"Bloody cat," Draco huffed, and rolled his eyes, "fine, make me figure it out for myself then," he said as he resumed stroking Crookshanks, who closed his eyes and purred happily.

- - - - - -

"What were you doing over there?" Ron asked after Hermione had raced towards them.

Hermione took a moment to catch her breath and began leading them towards Hogsmeade before she answered, "just talking."

"To who? You could have asked them to come with us." Suggested Harry, since neither of them had seen who Hermione was talking to.

"I doubt you would have liked that. And I'm sure he wouldn't have come anyway."

"Who?" asked Ron.

"Draco," Hermione answered simply, not bothering to beat around the bush, and not looking at either of her friends when she spoke.

The two boys were stunned silent. Hermione kept walking as if it was no big thing, and in a moment, they both jogged to catch up to her. They all seemed to agree that Draco was not the topic of conversation that they were interested in pursuing, so no one said anything more on the subject.

"You guys mind if we go to Honeydukes after lunch? I've still got some gold left and could do with some sweets," said Ron

"Sounds good to me," agreed Harry.

"Sure," nodded Hermione.

Hermione turned back before they left the grounds, but could no longer see Draco, she smiled nevertheless. They had spent the whole morning together, and while it had felt rather restrained, it hadn't felt entirely awkward. At least that's what she felt; she still couldn't decipher what he was thinking. Although, when she remembered the look in his eyes when Harry and Ron had shouted for her, she had definitely felt something there. It looked as if he didn't want her to go. Even though he hadn't said anything, or made a move to stop her, she couldn't erase the feeling that his eyes had been pleading with her to stay.

If she hadn't already made plans with her friends, she would have stayed with him. But still they had made plans to meet up again tomorrow, and the thought made her heart feel light. No longer did she have to worry herself with 'what if's', instead she could enjoy the day with her friends, and look forward to an afternoon with Draco the next day. And hopefully, tomorrow she would make more progress in getting the real Draco to come out from behind his wall. If she could somehow get him to do that, then maybe there could be a hope that they would someday be able to get back together again.

Hermione had fun at Hogsmeade with her friends, although she felt they had both went a bit overboard buying sweets. Perhaps it was just because she was eager to get back to school, or it could have been that the boys' pockets were so heavily crammed with sweets, but for whatever reason, it took much longer to get back from Hogsmeade than it had taken to get there.

By the time they got back, they had time for the boys to bring their broomsticks, and for Hermione to bring her book back to their dormitories before they went to dinner. Hermione stepped into the Gryffindor changing room, where they had left all their stuff, and picked up her book. It was only then that she realized she had forgotten about Crookshanks. "Oh no!"

"What?" asked Harry.

"I forgot to bring Crookshanks back in before we left! I have no idea where he is!"

"I'm sure he'll be alright, he can take care of himself," reasoned Ron.

"True, but still, I just want to look for him before it gets too dark."

"Alright, we'll help," Harry volunteered.

The three searched until the sun had touched the horizon, but there was no sign of Crookshanks. "I don't like this" said Hermione in a worried tone, "He always comes when I call him, what if he's hurt or lost or something?" Horrible images of Crookshanks in danger began flashing through her mind.

"Hermione, calm down, why don't we go ask Hagrid if he's seen him on the grounds?" suggested Harry.

"Yeah, god idea."

Hermione ran over to Hagrid's hut while the boys continued searching and calling Crookshanks' name. As soon as she reached the door, she pounded on it, "Hagrid! Hagrid are you there?"

"One minute!" came Hagrid's booming voice. There was the sound of large footsteps, and then the door opened revealing the half-giant. "'ermione? Is somethin' wrong?"

"Yes, I've lost Crookshanks! You haven't seen him on the grounds today have you?"

"Actually, I did see 'im round earlier. You should watch out fer 'im 'ermione, I saw 'im go with Malfoy in ter the castle."

"Really?" Hermione breathed a surprised sigh of relief. "Thanks Hagrid!"

"No problem 'ermione!" Hagrid called as Hermione jogged back to Harry and Ron.

"That's ok guys, you don't have to look anymore," she said once she got there, a bit out of breath. "Hagrid let him back in, so he's probably just wandering the castle hunting for mice or something." Hermione decided it best to continue avoiding the subject of Draco around her friends, so she lied a little, but figured it didn't matter.

Once Hermione was back in her room after dinner, and had still seen no sign of Crookshanks, she decided to write Draco a little note;

_Dear Cat-napper,_

_It seems as though you have stolen my cat. I will grant you permission to keep him for now, but tomorrow I demand to have him back. Two o'clock by the lake, I will not accept tardiness or excuses. See you then._

_Hermione_

She reread her letter, and smiled hoping that Draco would find it humorous. He seemed like he could use a laugh. Plus, as much as she wanted to make Draco laugh (or at least smile) the letter had an ulterior motive. By demanding a time to retrieve Crookshanks, she assured herself that they would in fact meet the next day. Although she had little doubt Draco would break the plan they had made earlier, now she was sure he would be there at the same time she was.

As quietly as she could, she slipped out of her room, and then out of the common room. She didn't want Harry knowing she had left, because she didn't want him to know she was writing to Draco. As quickly as possible, she treaded to the owlry, and enlisted the help of a small school owl to deliver the letter. It took it grudgingly, as it would rather spend the night hunting with the other owls.

Once the owl had flown away, Hermione walked slowly back to the common room with a slight smile on her face. All in all, today had been a very good day, but still, she couldn't wait for tomorrow. For some reason, she had a feeling that it was going to be a very good day.

* * *

I know everyone was looking forward to them talking again, so I hope you liked it! I'm pretty sure there are only two chapters left, so we're almost at the end (bittersweet I know). Just so you know, the next chapter may take a bit longer to post and this one did because I've got a lot of stuff to do this weekend, but I'll try not to make the wait too long. Anyway, as always, I absolutely love hearing from everyone, so please send a review. 


	27. Chapter 27: Breaking Through

**Disclaimer: **yeah yeah yeah, everyone knows by now, I'm not JKR, so I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **I know this was a rather long wait for a rather short chapter, but there's not much I could have done about it, so I hope everyone likes it. And, I just thought I'd let you all know that due to popular demand, I have decided to go ahead with another sequel. It will probably take a while for me to start posting, but I will post one. So now you can look forward to another sequel after you're all finished reading the 6th HP book. Anyway, there are still 2 more chapters left in this fic, which we will get to as soon as I thank all the awesome people who reviewed chapter 26!

_Ginny-W13_ – Alright then, if it's a trilogy you want, it's a trilogy you'll get! Thanks for the review!  
_Fire Angel_ – thank you so much! It's so great to hear that you like it so much, and I'm glad you like how they're being reintroduced back to each other, cause I didn't want to make it happen to fast (or too slow for that matter). Thanks for the review!  
_Unknown_ - I hope the moving went (or is going) well! Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter.  
_Laendra_ – I'm so happy that you like it so much! I kinda wish it would never end too, cause it's been so much fun to write, but alas, all stories must end. Oh well, I hope you like this chapter!  
_stranger who loves your story_ – hehe I'm glad you liked Crookshanks in this chapter. And no, Draco does not see the yearbook message in this chapter, but he will see it, I promise. Thanks for the review!  
_KrispySteph_ – wow, it's so awesome that you like the story so much so far, I hope you like this chapter too, and thanks for the review!_  
the mask he wears_ – alright I will definitely have the fic finished by then, so you can enjoy it before you go on your trip (I hope you have a lot of fun by the way!)  
_Sayaku-chan_ – lol yup, there's another story coming, and then the sequel to this as well, so you'll have plenty to read and look forward to! Thanks for the review!  
_dancerfreak1991, Scorpiogrrll, __Chantal J, __zuvalupa_ – Thank you very much, I hope you like this chapter, and thanks for the reviews!_  
I wish your heart was mine_ – lol I'm glad the last chapter made you happy! Thanks for the review!  
_Anonymous-139_ – yeah Draco should open up more, someone needs to kick some sense into him. Obviously that won't happen, so I'll let you read on and see whether or not he opens up on his own. ;o) thanks for the review!  
_jesska-14_ – yay! I'm glad it seems realistic, cause that's exactly what I was going for! Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!  
_Steelo_ – lol yes, there's going to be a third, and sure I'll let you know when my next fic comes out (thought it won't be up for a while). I'm glad you liked last chapter, I hope you like this one too, and thanks for the review!  
_comedy gal_ – lol I know, I've been re-reading the 5th book, and I've been having trouble getting the DM/HG romance stuff out of my head too. It makes me wonder how JKR would write anything happening between Draco and Hermione, even though I know it's not going to happen. Oh well, thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!

Here is Chapter 27! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 27: Breaking Through**

Draco awoke very early the next morning to the rather awkward sensation as if something had been standing, and then suddenly leaping off his stomach. He opened his eyes, and remembered that he was still in the library room with Crookshanks, which explained the weird sensation. Draco turned to pat Crookshanks head, but the cat seemed more interested with something on the floor, a piece of parchment.

Draco picked it up, and discovered it was a note. He had to laugh when he read it, 'sometimes she has the most amusing sense of humor' he thought. He then took out a new piece of parchment (because this letter seemed worthy of a response). After penning a quick little note that he hoped would bring a smile to her face as well, he left Crookshanks in the library room and made for the owlry to find Aries.

The owl was sleeping on one of the lower perches, so Draco had to stroke his feathers quite a few times to wake him up. At first Aries snapped at him to show his displeasure for being awoken, but once he was fully awake he willingly climbed onto Draco's arm and held out his leg for Draco to tie the letter to it. Draco carried him over to the window, "take it to Hermione alright?" Aries gave a reassuring hoot and was off.

For a moment, Draco just stood by the window, it was still early morning, yet it was already rather warm, it was going to be very hot today. Once he left the Owlry, he went straight to the Slytherin dormitories. After he was showered and clean, he went to decide what to wear for the day. At first he chose a short sleeve back t-shirt since it was going to be so hot outside. But as soon as he put it on, he whipped it on and threw it violently into his trunk. That damn Mark. While he might be able to live with it showing while he was alone, he couldn't allow other people to see it, and he certainly couldn't allow Hermione to see it. He was positive that she would completely hate him if she saw it. Suppressed rage filled him once more; he paced a couple times around the room before roaring with frustration and slamming his fist against the wall. But his actions only proved to anger him more because now he had a throbbing fist to deal with as well.

Draco threw himself face down on his bed, and for a few moments just remained there wallowing in his own anger. But the longer he thought, the more he managed to relax. Finally he sat up thinking hard to himself. 'Get a grip on yourself Malfoy! She's not an idiot, she knows what happened! And she's the one suggested meeting together again remember! Just be yourself for god's sake and forget about the damn Mark!'

Now Draco was angry at himself for being such an idiot. He was breathing heavily, and felt like he wanted to punch something again (although this time he didn't). Instead he pushed himself up off the bed, and filled with determination, he walked down to the Great Hall. For the first time since he'd returned, he was going to make an appearance when the rest of the school was there as well, and while in the past that wouldn't have ever been a big thing, now to Draco it was a huge step in his attempt to be himself again.

- - - - - - - - - -

Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny sat down in the Great Hall just as the morning post was arriving. Hermione was pleasantly surprised to have Aries land next to her breakfast with a note. She eagerly untied it and offered the owl some bacon bits. Aries nibbled at Hermione's breakfast as she unrolled the note, then he finished eating, and since he was apparently not waiting for a response, Aries spread his wings and followed the other post owls out of the Great Hall.

Hermione chuckled when she read the note;

_So I'm a cat-napper now huh? Well, if you call having your miniature tiger of a cat stalk me around Hogwarts all day cat-napping, then I suppose I am guilty as charged. Now, about the returning of your cat. . . Normally one would require a ransom for the return of whatever it was they stole, however since you did help me out with the sleep potion idea, I suppose I'll let the ransom slide this time. _

_See you then_

"I know who that owl belongs to!" said Ginny in a teasing manner once Hermione read the note. Harry and Ron both looked up from their breakfasts with curious expressions. "What'd he say?" continued Ginny.

Hermione passed Ginny the note, which she read with a very confused look on her face. "What's he talking about? Crookshanks?"

"Yeah," Hermione answered, forgetting that Harry and Ron were listening, "I saw him yesterday when the guys were playing quidditch and so we got to talk for a while. While we were talking Crookshanks came and started hanging around with us. But then I forgot to let him back inside when we all went to Three Broomsticks"

"Malfoy did something to Crookshanks?" interrupted Harry.

Hermione turned with a startled blush, realizing that Harry and Ron had been listening, "no, he didn't do anything bad to Crookshanks," she responded, "but since Crookshanks was following him around all day, Draco brought him back inside the castle with him."

"But you told us Hagrid let him in!" argued Ron.

"Yes, well, Hagrid said he saw Crookshanks with Draco, so what's wrong with that?"

"Why'd you lie to us?" accused Harry.

"Because I didn't know what you to would say if I mentioned Draco again, so I didn't want to bring it up alright? The important part was that Crookshanks was safe anyway."

Ron snorted as if he didn't believe her.

Hermione pursed her lips, then decided to ignore the boys' behavior, "Anyway Ginny, last night I sent him a note pretending to accuse him of cat-napping Crookshanks, and telling him when and where to give Crookshanks back."

"Very clever Hermione," Ginny winked to show that she understood the ulterior motives, which only made Hermione giggle. Once Hermione started, Ginny joined in and soon, to the boys' annoyance, both girls were giggling uncontrollably.

In the middle of their giggling fit, Ginny suddenly stopped with a huge grin on her face. She grabbed Hermione's shoulder and gestured with a nod of her heady towards the doors behind her, "look who's here." She whispered with excitement.

Hermione turned and immediately saw who Ginny was referring to. Draco had just entered the Great Hall. He still wasn't walking with his old confident stride, which demanded the attention of the entire room, but he was here. And those who did notice him were whispering to one another and pointing at him. Hermione however, was not paying attention to anyone else; her eyes were set on Draco. Much to her delight, as he was walking to the Slytherin table, his gaze wandered over to the Gryffindor and seemed to be searching for something until they found Hermione. She beamed at him, and he gave her a little nod and the slightest of smiles in return.

She knew that was the most she was going to get from him while around the rest of the school, but she was so happy to see him in a group setting that she could not have cared less. Plus, the gesture gave her hope that he would be more open when she met with him later. Hermione turned back to Ginny, still beaming. Ginny was smiling at her knowingly, "so when do you get Crookshanks back?"

"Two o'clock by the lake."

"So what are you doing till then?" Ginny asked.

"I have no idea," Hermione said with a laugh. "I suppose I could start getting all my stuff packed. I can't believe tomorrow's the last day at Hogwarts!"

"I know! I'm so ready for summer, exams were a nightmare!" agreed Ginny.

Hermione nodded, but had fallen into a contemplative mood again, tomorrow was the last day she would ever spend at Hogwarts, but it seemed as if she had just gotten there. She had learned so much, but there was still so much she didn't know. Suddenly, she didn't feel ready to leave.

After breakfast, as she began to pack away her things in her trunk, she felt like she was going to burst into tears. Every single thing she touched seemed to bring new memories to the forefront of her mind. Memories she felt as if she were abandoning forever by leaving the school. She sighed as she packed the last of her beloved books away. Now all she had left unpacked were her robes for the next two days, her dress robes for the Leaving Ball, and a book for the train ride home, just in case she needed it, (although for once she was not planning on reading). She glanced at her watch and found that it was ten of two. She decided there was no point in hanging around here, so she left to meet Draco by the lake.

- - - - - - - - - -

At breakfast, Draco determinedly ignored the whispers that seemed to follow him across the tables. He caught Hermione's eye, and the connection seemed to drive all the whispers away, he truly didn't care about them, all he cared about was that she was smiling at him. He nodded back to her, and then took a seat at the end of the Slytherin table. His housemates looked up and nodded formally at him, but no one spoke to him.

Not wanting to hear more whispers following him, he waited to leave until a rather large group of Slytherins left. He walked with them until they left the Great Hall, then as they turned to return to the dungeons, Draco turned to the library instead. He collected Crookshanks from the secret room, and then brought him outside. He knew that Hermione wouldn't be around for another few hours yet, but it was another nice day outside, and he wanted to enjoy it.

He placed the cat on the stone steps once he was outside, and Crookshanks immediately ran off to chase some small creature by the edge of the forest. Draco assumed the cat could take care of itself, so he left it to roam as it pleased while he took a walk around the castle. His mind was mysteriously silent during his walk. It was as if he knew any thoughts he would dwell on would be negative, so something prevented his mind from thinking at all. Instead he just walked in an absentminded daze, allowing his feet to carry him wherever they pleased.

As if directed by an internal clock, by five of two Draco's legs carried him to the edge of the lake, where he was pleased to find Hermione was already waiting for him. He smiled at her, and in turn she beamed back at him, her face seemed to shine brighter than the sun. And although it was a warm day, it was she, not the sun that seemed to bring warmth to his heart.

"So," she pretended to look stern by putting her hands on her hips and tapping her foot, but the act didn't quite reach her smile and voice, "I'm assuming you have my cat?"

"I suppose he's around here somewhere," responded Draco, mimicking her tone of false formality. Hermione laughed, unable to maintain the charade, "He's probably chasing after some poor creature or another," shrugged Draco.

"Yeah," agreed Hermione. "Thanks for taking care of him yesterday."

"I didn't have much of a choice to tell you the truth," said Draco in a relaxed tone, "he just kind of followed me the entire day."

Hermione laughed and began meandering along the edge of the lake. Draco followed her without even realizing it, and soon the two were once again walking together around the lake. "So," began Hermione after a few moments of silence, "what are you going once school's over?" Hermione knew that this was a weightier question to ask Draco than it was to any of her other friends at the moment, but she was curious.

Draco took in a breath and directed his gaze toward the treetops in the distance. "Go home I guess," he answered with a shrug. "I'll probably spend a while emptying the Manor of all Lucius' crap. Maybe I'll even give the Dark Art stuff to the Ministry instead of just destroying it myself, I haven't decided yet."

Hermione nodded, "but what about after that, what are you going to do?"

Draco knew she was wondering what he was planning of doing with his life, what profession he was going to go into and all that stuff, be he still didn't know. He shrugged and remained silent for a long time. "What about you?"

Hermione let the fact that Draco never answered her question slide, and seemed to perk up at the chance to talk about her plans for the summer, and for the future. "Well, I'm going home for the first part of the summer, to pack my things and see my mum and dad. Then Harry, Ron and I will be moving in together before we start auror training in July."

Draco smiled to himself, "you'll make a magnificent auror."

"Thanks." She paused with her mouth slightly open, as if deciding whether or not to say what was on her mind. "You know, I think you would make a good auror yourself."

Draco laughed in disbelief, "me?"

"Yes you," Hermione insisted, "you're powerful, intelligent, and cunning, you'd be great at tracking down Dark wizards."

Draco shook his head with an unclear expression on his face.

"Why not?"

"I have lived my entire life around Dark witches and wizards, learning the Dark Arts. Yes, I decided that life wasn't for me, and you gave me the strength to fight it, but I don't want to spend my life fighting it. You, you were born to do that sort of thing, making the world better for others and all that. But that's just not me. I don't know what I want to do with my life yet, but for once I have the opportunity to look into something that doesn't concern the Dark Arts, and I want to see what else is out there."

At first Hermione was listening intently to what he said, but her mind got a tad stuck on the part where she gave him strength, and she didn't fully concentrate on the rest. She did however take in enough to get the gist, and she had to admit that he had clearly been giving his future a lot of thought. "Well, I think it's good that you want to see what else is out there, but I still think you would make a good auror. Just something to keep in mind if you don't find anything else."

Draco didn't respond, he just glanced at her with a smile, which she gladly returned.

After that they spent the rest of the walk in silence. Hermione had one more question that was begging to be voiced, but she did her best to keep it down. She was afraid that she already knew the answer, and she didn't want to hear it confirmed.

By the time they returned to their starting point there seemed to be an awkward tension between them. Draco could sense that something was different about Hermione, but he couldn't quite place what it was. The tension was momentarily broken by Crookshanks who was seated there on a rock, seemingly waiting for them. "Crookshanks!" Hermione ran forward and scooped her cat up into her arms, and Draco took the opportunity to scratch behind the cat's ears.

The brief ease that had passed between them disappeared just as quickly as it had come. Hermione was biting her lip as if she was nervous, and Draco was be looking anywhere but at Hermione, and his face seemed to be rather closed off again. Finally, Hermione threw caution to the wind and voiced the question she was so preoccupied with, "so," Draco turned to look at her, which caused her to stop short, "are you planning on going to the Leaving Ball tomorrow?" She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks as soon as she spoke, and she seriously wished she had just kept her mouth shut, since she thought she already knew the answer was going to be no. For once in her life, she wanted to be wrong.

Draco appeared taken aback by the question, and he took a moment to answer. He shook his head, "no, I'm not going." Was it Hermione's imagination, or did she hear a definite trace of guilt in his voice? He went on, "It was uncomfortable enough having people whisper and point at me this morning in the Great Hall, I don't think I want to deal with a whole night of it you know?"

"Yeah," Hermione tried to sound nonchalant despite the disappointment she felt, "I didn't think you would, I just thought I'd ask." She added in an offhanded, yet oddly formal way.

But after that, there seemed to be no hope for any normal conversation anymore. The two both stood in silence for several moments without looking at each other in the eye. Crookshanks looked back and forth between the two, and seemed rather frustrated with the pair of them. Finally, when she could take the heavy silence no longer, Hermione looked slightly passed Draco, towards the castle, "well, thanks for taking care of Crookshanks."

Draco finally turned to meet her gaze, only to find she was avoiding his eye, "anytime."

Hermione nodded, "Well I'll see you around," and walked passed him towards the castle.

"See you," Draco watched her go. He watched until she was at the castle steps, and then his brain kicked in. 'Brilliant Malfoy!' he reprimanded himself, 'just bloody brilliant. Why'd you have to go and say something stupid like that?' But as he was in the middle of lecturing himself, her last words echoed back in his mind _'_I'll see you around." He immediately stopped yelling at himself. He stared blankly at the castle, 'but what if we don't?' The empty space in his heart grew about ten times larger when that realization finally hit him. Sure, he had known all along that he was leaving school after tomorrow, but never before had the thought that he may not be seeing Hermione again hit him in quite the same way. 'Did I really just let he walk away so easily?'

- - - - - - - - - -

On her trip back to the castle, Hermione felt as if her heart had plummeted into a bottomless pit. 'Why did I have to ask?' She demanded to herself, 'Do I enjoy breaking my own heart?' Back in the common room, she dropped Crookshanks, rather roughly on her bed, and walked over to the closet to look at her dress robes.

Her fingers grazed the soft fabric. Admittedly, she had chosen these dress robes with the thought of how Draco would look if he saw her wearing them. She knew that he would be unable to keep his mouth closed, and she had imagined him to be uncharacteristically speechless. She had giggled at the thought when she purchased the robes, but now the thought only brought a sorrowful sigh. Draco wasn't coming to the ball, he wouldn't see her in her stunning dress and the fantasy she hadn't even realized she had been looking forward to, would never take place.

She closed the door to her closet, blocking her view of the dress robes, not wanting to think about the ball the next evening. This was a happy time, she should be enjoying every single one of the seconds she had left at Hogwarts, but instead she was miserable. She didn't want to think about leaving Hogwarts without ever taking the chance to tell Draco that she still loved him. 'I would have if he would just come to the damn Ball!' she argued.

But the other side of her mind fought back, 'But you knew he wasn't coming, deep down you always knew it! You were just too scared to tell him when you had the chance, and now you may very well not get the chance to see him alone again!'

Hermione slammed her fist against the door to the closet in fury. She threw herself face down onto the bed with her teeth gritted and her fists clenched. As she lay there, her angry thoughts gradually dissolved into dreams.

She was looking out the window of the Hogwarts Express. She could hear laughter and happy voices all around her, but everything was fuzzy. She was staring at the platform where Draco was still standing. He alone remained perfectly clear in her dream, but the train was leaving without him. She couldn't leave him like that, she had to tell him how she felt, "Draco!" she called with her arms outstretched. He looked back at her, but his face was made of stone.

In her second's hesitation, the image of Draco, and the train faded, and another dream took over. She was at the Leaving Ball, although this was the Leaving Ball from last year. Everything happened just as it had last year; both she and Draco were called to the front of the room, having been named the new Head Boy and Girl. They danced together and then just as they were leaning in to kiss, Draco disappeared, and she was standing alone in the middle of the dance floor, while everyone around her continued to dance and laugh. No one seemed to notice that the new Head Boy had just disappeared 'but you can't apparate into or out of Hogwarts!' she reminded herself even in her dream. The room and the people in it slowly faded to black . . .

When the colors returned, she was at the Leaving Ball again, only this time she was wearing a different set of dress robes, the ones that were now hanging in her closet. Dinner was over, she and Harry had just given their speeches to explosive rounds of applause. Now, the lights were dimming, and Dumbledore cued the band. They began with a slow song; it was an enchanting melody with a slight feel of sorrow. She was standing on the side, a wall-flower in full bloom just waiting for the right man to recognize her beauty and pick her from the wall to the floor. She was watching all the couples dance, delight etched in each one of their rather blurry faces. None of them seemed to be properly in focus.

And then, the fuzzy crowd of dancers in front of her began to part, there walking straight towards her, perfectly in focus, was Draco. He was more handsome than she had ever seen, and light seemed to be emanating from within him so much that it lit up the area a foot around him. He crossed the room towards her, he moved quickly although seemed to be traveling in slow motion at the same time. Every second seemed to last and eternity. When he finally reached her, he did not speak; instead he swept her into his arms and spun her onto the dance floor. And then, in front of everyone, he kissed her with his sweet and tender lips. The rest of the room faded to black so that only she and Draco remained. She wanted so much for the kiss to go on forever, yet at the same time; there was something she needed to tell him. She slowly released his lips and gazed into his silver eyes. But even as she looked at them, he seemed to fade right in front of her. "Draco," she said in an urgent whisper, but he continued fading into nothingness, and she slipped into wakefulness. She opened her eyes, rather confused as to what was going on.

After taking in her surroundings and realizing that she was in her bed, that it was still the dead of night, and that it had only been a dream, she lay back down in a curled up ball. She wanted to cry, but could not find the energy, her heart was filled with despair. She had tried so hard to tell Draco that she loved him, but she couldn't even manage it in a dream, and she had been forced to watch him fade away into oblivion over and over again.

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Well everyone, there's only on chapter left! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that you're looking forward to see how it ends. I'm looking forward to see what everyone thought of this chapter, so please send a review! 


	28. Chapter 28: So This is the End

**Disclaimer: **After 27 chapters of this fic I would hope everyone got the fact that I am not JK Rowling, but just in case, I'll say it one more time. I am not JK Rowling, so I do not own Harry Potter. I do however own the plot to this fic, which after nearly 9 months of work is finally complete.

**A/N: **First off, allow me to express my sincerest condolences to all who were affected in any way by the events in London. My thoughts are with you.

**Now back to the fic: **I think I am going to cry! (Both happy and sad tears) I am going to miss writing this fic so much, but at the same time I am so excited that it is finished. I hope everyone likes how I decided to end it, I had a lot of different options in my head, but to me this was the best one, so I hope you all agree. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed chapter 27:

_SharkAttak_ – I'm so happy that you like the replies I write to the reviewers! I think it's important to thank everyone who reviews my chapters because honestly the reviews are what inspire me to try to write better. And plus, I'm always so happy to get the reviews that I think they deserve an answer :o) So I'm happy that you appreciate it! And yes, I am continuing the series, complete with Pansy and Voldemort stuff, so you can look forward to thank if you like. I'm so happy you liked the chapter, and I hope you like how I ended it. Thanks so much for the review!  
_Cindy, Ginny-W13, midnightwanderer01, __Chantal J, __Sunflower18, zuvalupa, Miri, steelo, southernsweetdevil, lsmyth_ – thank you very much for the reviews!  
_DrStrangelove007_ – lol I know what you mean, but this is the end and I hope you like it. Thank you very much for the review!  
_Sayaku-chan_ – Thanks! Yup, this will be part of a trilogy, although since I've only just started thinking about it, it may take quite a while for me to start posting the third one. Thank you for the review. And I hope you update your fic soon, cause I like it and I want to read more!  
_anIme-prYncess_ – I hope everything's all fixed with your computer! Thanks for the review!  
_Clear Black Glass_ – aww I'm sorry the last couple chapters and the fic ending made you sad, but I hope you like the ending anyway. Thanks for the review!  
_comedy gal_ – lol I know what you mean, I have to reread the real books every once and a while to remind myself what the characters are really supposed to be like after having seen them portrayed so differently in fan fics. I hope I have not turned everyone off from the idea of HG/RW in the real books, cause I think it's bound to happen, and as for Draco . . . .I think I'm gonna have to cry if he becomes a DE in the real books after writing these fics! Anyway, thanks for the review, and I hope you like the ending!  
_elektra30_ – stupid schoolwork! How dare it keep you from updating. Oh well, I suppose it is important (that's what the teachers say anyway). I'm very happy that you liked the tension and the imagery, and I hope you like the way it ends in this chapter. Thanks for always giving me such great comments and helpful criticism, I think it's really helped me improve my writing. So thank you for the review!  
_I wish your heart was mine_ – lol yup, surprisingly enough, nothingness is a word. I hope you like the end, and thank you for the review!

So now, after months of hard work, _Serpent Fangs and Lion Hearts_ is complete. I present to you, the final chapter:

**

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**Chapter 28: So This is the End**

Hermione awoke in a very awkward mood the next morning. At first, as she was beginning her morning routine, she did not recall her dreams at all. The remainder of her sleep the night before had been much more restful than it had been at first. She seemed to have settled into a sense of completion. On the whole she felt prepared for the world ahead of her, Hogwarts had taught her all it could and now it was time to move on. She dressed, and then walked to the common room. She walked over to the study area and ran her fingers across all the books sitting on one of the shelves.

"Thinking of packing the whole library in your trunk?" Harry was leaning across the entrance to his room with his arms crossed over his chest, and he was watching her with an amused grin.

"So what if I was?" Hermione played along, but left the books in their places on the shelf behind her as she moved to stand by one of the chairs in the center of the room.

"I'm sure you'll find plenty to read outside of Hogwarts" Harry insisted, "plus, I doubt that you'd be able to fit them in your trunk anyway," he added as an afterthought.

Hermione tried to laugh, but just could not muster the humor inside her.

"Come on Hermione, cheer up. Today's a happy day, tomorrow we're beginning our lives as adults, it's supposed to be a good and exciting time!"

"I know" Hermione smiled, "I am excited, and I really am happy. I'm just, going to miss it you know?"

Harry moved forward and put his arm around Hermione's shoulders, "I know. We have a lot of memories here. But just think of all the great memories we have to make, all the adventures we have yet to face!"

Hermione smiled wider, "you're right; we do have a lot to look forward to, don't we." She let out a sentimental sigh, "I just can't help it. While a part of me is excited to me, another part isn't ready to say goodbye."

"I know, I feel the same way, so does Ron and everyone else. But that's part of it. I don't think anyone ever feels completely ready for the big changes they face. But we all face them, and we'll all be together, so you've got nothing to worry about."

"Thanks Harry, you're right. As long as I've got you and Ron a . . ." she took a breath as if she was going to add another name, but instead finished with "I'm sure I'll be alright."

Harry didn't appear to notice the awkward pause, for which Hermione was thankful. She had almost said Draco's name as well, however at the last second she decided against it. But that hadn't stopped her from thinking it. There in the middle of the common room, the dreams she had dreamt the night before came back to her. She recalled seeing him come towards her through the parting crowd. She did her best not to get her hopes up for a scene like that to occur in reality, but it was exceedingly difficult now that the image was so realistically imprinted in her mind.

She closed her eyes, 'No!' she ordered herself, 'he already told you that he's not going to the Ball, so don't even imagine it. You're only setting yourself up for disappointment!'

But it seemed that the harder she tried to force the fantasy away, the more determined it was to maintain a solid hold on her mind. After a moment, she gave into the struggle, and allowed the dream to replay itself in her mind up until the part where they kissed, it was perfect. Harry was studying his friend, and she stood there with her eyes closed, seeming to be remembering something very sweet. She sighed once, but did not seem aware that she had done so. When she finally opened her eyes, Harry did not ask her what she had been thinking of, sadly he thought he knew who she had been thinking of, because he sigh had been one of longing, and Harry knew she was still longing for Malfoy. Harry put on a smile, but in reality, it pained her to know she still felt that way toward his enemy. Yes, Malfoy was, and forever would be in Harry's mind, his arch rival and sworn enemy, nothing would ever change that, but it was equally unlikely that anything would change the way Hermione felt about Malfoy, a thought which was still difficult for Harry to swallow.

"So," Hermione said after snapping out of her daydream, " are you ready for the Ball tonight? With your speech and all?"

"Yeah, you?"

"I think so. I mean, there is so much to say, but I don't want to bore everyone by saying too much. And at the same time I want to say something important . . ."

Harry interrupted before she could go on in one of her endless rants, "I'm sure whatever you are going to say will be perfect." Inside Harry was praying that Hermione had made her speech short and sweet, although he doubted it. This was Hermione after all, and she did have a tendency to ramble on so much that she became annoying.

- - - - - - - - - -

That night, Hermione, Ginny (who was going to the Ball with Harry), and Luna got ready in Hermione's room while Harry and Ron prepared in Harry's room. The boys were finished long before the girls, and were now enjoying a game of wizard's chess in the common room.

Hermione was in the bathroom preparing her hair, Luna was dazedly sitting on the bed, and Ginny meanwhile was examining herself in the mirror. Her dress was deep blue silk-like material, which looked marvelous on her. Luna was wearing a pale purple dress, which hung off her in a breezy way, making her look even dreamier than she normally did.

"Hermione, you almost ready?" Ginny called as she was smoothing at the nonexistent wrinkles on the bottom of her dress.

"One second!" Hermione's voice answered. From inside the bathroom she critiqued her hair one last time. Through a combination of hair products and a couple rather complicated spells, she had made her bushy locks elegantly wavy. She had pinned most of it up in a delicate knot towards the top of her head, but some of it she left down so that it framed her face, and cascaded down the back of her neck and he shoulders.

Decidedly pleased with the result of all her hard work, she joined Ginny and Luna in her room. "Oh Ginny, you look wonderful!" she said when she saw Ginny looking in the mirror, "and you look lovely too Luna," she added so as not to be rude, though she couldn't tell if Luna had heard her or not.

Ginny turned and lit up when she saw Hermione, "Oh my God! Hermione you look amazing! That dress is perfect, and your hair is beautiful!"

"Thanks," a pink natural blush was added to the make up blush Hermione was already wearing. Ginny had insisted that she put on at least a small amount of make-up, and as she viewed herself in the mirror, Hermione had to admit that the make-up was a good touch. She could hardly believe that the girl looking back at her and mimicking all her movements in the glass of the mirror was really her.

Her dress was scarlet, and made of a very soft and delicate material. She loved the way the fabric flowed with her as she moved. She imagined it would look perfect as she was gliding across the dance floor in the arms of a stunningly handsome man, (one who unsurprisingly had platinum blonde hair which framed the most enchanting silver eyes she'd ever seen). She shook the image from her mind because she did not want to get her hopes up. But even as she tried to forget it, she had to admit that the idea did seem perfect in her mind. After all, what could be more romantic than the fantasy she had dreamed of?

"Shall we go then" asked Ginny, who was rather eager to get to the Ball and begin dancing.

Hermione postponed her answer by pretending to adjust her dress, but as it clearly fit her perfectly, she could not put off the inevitable for long. She turned to Ginny and nodded, then followed the red head out of the room. Luna, who despite appearing as if she were asleep with her eyes open, seemed to have heard them, for she got up and followed after Hermione.

As soon as Harry and Ron heard the door open, they abandoned their chess game (despite angry protests from the chess pieces) and gawked at the girls. "Whoa," breathed Ron when he saw how beautiful they all looked. Harry stood with his mouth agape, equally as speechless as Ron.

The five of them just stood there for a moment staring at each other until Ginny spoke up, "Well, are you guys just gonna stand there or are you going to take us to the Ball?"

That comment seemed to snap the boys back into reality. They each stepped forward and held out their arm to their partner, leading them out the portrait door. Hermione's heart seemed to have leapt from her chest to her throat and was now blocking her airways as she watched the four of them walking in front of her. She almost gave into the urge to turn back and lock herself in the common room for the rest of the night. She felt terribly lonely without a partner, but the problem was that there was nothing any of her friends could do about it. She didn't want their pity, she didn't want their sympathy, and she didn't want their company. No, there was only one who could cure this loneliness. And she only kept walking by clinging to the hope that he would have changed his mind and would be waiting for her in the Great Hall when she arrived.

When she walked through the doors to the marvelously decorated Great Hall, her eyes instantly scanned the sea of people for him. But she saw nothing, no intense silver eyes, no flash of platinum blonde. 'He really isn't coming' she realized as she took her seat at a table with her friends, 'he really isn't here.'

- - - - - - - - - -

The day of the Leaving Ball, Draco seemed inordinately aware of what time it was all day. So when the time for the Ball to begin finally came, he was rather restless, and in the mood to punch something. He wasn't exactly sure why he was so restless, he had never planned on going to the Ball anyway.

'It's because you want to see Hermione you idiot' he chided himself. But then his brain went back to the morning before, and how everyone had been watching him and pointing and whispering as he walked across the Great Hall, 'I can't stand dealing with that again.'

To take his mind off the Ball, Draco retreated to his dormitory to pack his trunk. He neatly placed all his books on the bottom, and then came his clothes, and then any miscellaneous items, including the dragon pendant and broken picture of him and Hermione that he could not bring himself to throw away. They lay there, atop all his things, staring at him, taunting him with sweet memories of Hermione, and causing him to sink further into his pit of despair.

For some reason, he had been compelled to leave his yearbook unpacked. Now it was lying on the ground next to the trunk. Something had been nagging at him about the yearbook for a few days now, and he could not figure out what it was.

So, with his curiosity peaked, and nothing better to do with his time other than sleep, he opened the book, and for the first time since he'd gotten it, he flipped through the pages. One by one he looked through them, rather impressed with the how the spells had come out. He even half smiled to himself when he saw the quidditch page.

But his smile vanished when he turned to the Head Boy and Girl page. He was rather startled to see a picture of himself staring back at him. He had figured that Hermione would have removed him from the yearbook entirely and replaced his picture with Potter's. He looked at his impressive image in the photograph, and then glanced at himself now. In the picture he was strong, confident, and ready to take over the world should he feel the desire to. 'Now look at me,' he thought with a sneer at himself. 'Sitting here like a bloody fool feeling sorry for myself.'

He hastily turned the page, but he did not seem to really see the rest of the yearbook. Yes, he was looking at the images, reading what was written, but none of it was processing. He was only using the yearbook as a means to block out the unpleasant thoughts he knew were lurking in the back of his mind, but it was only half working. He was almost to the end of the yearbook, and after that, there would be nothing to distract him from his misery nor from his own stupidity.

He grit his teeth harder with every turn of the page. He was now no longer even seeing what was in front of him, he was focusing all his energy on biting back his anger with himself, but he was not being very successful.

- - - - - - - - - -

Back at the Ball, dinner went along just fine, apparently Hermione was doing a great job faking a smile because no one seemed to notice that she was miserable, then again that could have been just because they were too busy being happy themselves to notice her.

Once dinner was finished, both Harry and Hermione gave their speeches, Hermione cut quite a bit out of hers because she wasn't entirely sure she could say everything she had planned without crying halfway through. So rather than talk about everything, she stuck to the general points like Harry did. No one seemed to mind, and once the speeches were over, she and Harry received a hearty round of applause from their audience. Once the speeches were done, the new Head Boy (a Gryffindor) and Head Girl (a Ravenclaw) were announced, and finally the dancing portion of the evening began.

Just as it had in her dream, the lights dimmed and the music began to play a sort of waltz tune. After assuring her friends that she would be fine, Hermione fell back to the outskirts of the dance floor. Everyone was dancing and clearly having a delightful time exactly as they had in her dream, (although now their faces were properly in focus as opposed to how blurry they had been in the dream.)

The waltz finished and was followed by a fast party song. Ron and Luna moved to the side and sat at the table next to Hermione. They took to watching and talking with each other. Hermione meanwhile continued scanning the sea of couples, 'he just has to come' her mind insisted, 'this is exactly like my dream, so he has to be here!'

But the fast song finished, and a slow song followed, then another, and another. Pain and disappointment consumed Hermione with every beat of every song that played. After three more songs, Harry and Ginny had also decided to take a break, but Hermione paid them no attention. She was breathing so hard that she was on the verge of hyperventilating, and she felt as if she was going to suffocate if she stayed in the room any longer. Without a word to anyone, she pushed herself passed the dancing couples, completely ignoring the sounds of annoyance from the people she shoved out of her way.

She didn't know whether she would rather lock herself in her room and spend the whole night miserable, or if she would rather find Draco and slap him hard in the face. The latter seemed like a good idea, except she didn't want him to see her crying.

A moment later as Hermione was nearing the exit to the Entrance Hall, Harry and Ron, who had been getting drinks for themselves and their dates, returned. Harry was carrying a third glass for Hermione even though she hadn't responded when he asked her if she'd like one. He passed one of the cups to Ginny and then looked around, "where'd Hermione go?"

"She left and I don't think she's coming back, she looked really upset," answered Ginny with worry in her voice.

Harry looked to the doors, and then placed the two glasses he was still holding onto the nearby table, "I'll be back, but I have to make sure she's ok."

"Alright, I'll wait here," Ginny responded.

- - - - - - - - - -

Draco had finally turned to the last page in his yearbook. But it was entirely blank. Unlike his housemates he had never asked anyone to sign his book, so the area reserved for signatures was perfectly white. Or not, as Draco had been closing the book, his eyes had caught a drawing in the bottom corner of the last page. Was it, a paw print? Draco gaped silently at it, deep down he knew it had to be from Hermione because it was the same thing he had done to her book, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. Besides, when could she have done it? In a rush he pulled his wand from his pocket and jabbed it at the drawing. He watched with mounting excitement as the paw print turned into a lioness which prowled across the page before fading into her message.

_Draco,_

_I wish I could say these things to you in person, but I am afraid I do not have the courage. So I hope you don't mind, but as you lay in your uneasy sleep I will tell you what I wish I could say aloud._

_As I'm sure you have guessed by now, I got your message. Thank you. I forgive you, and I want you to know that I am always here for you. I only hope that you can forgive me as well. You have no idea how much you have given me over the past two years. You made me see things in myself that I never even knew were there. No one has given me more than that, and for that I thank you._

_I miss you,_

_Hermione Granger_

Draco gazed in disbelief and touched his fingers to the message as if to prove to himself it was real. "I miss you too," he whispered aloud.

Upon reading her note, everything seemed to suddenly become clear, he scanned the dormitory, all of the things he would never be seeing again after tomorrow. Was he really going to let Hermione disappear from his life just because he was afraid of what might happen? Just because he felt sorry for himself? The only time he had ever been truly happy was when he was with her, was he really going to let her slip through his fingers so easily?

The answer was obvious and he couldn't believe it had taken him so long to figure it out. With a fierce determination flowing through him, and only the thought of Hermione in his mind, he dropped the yearbook, charged out of the dormitory and raced through the dungeons. So what if he wasn't dressed in fancy robes for the Ball, so what if everyone saw, he didn't care. He was going to that Ball, and he was going to tell Hermione the truth, he was not going to let her go without finally telling her how he felt.

He was slightly out of breath by the time he reached thee stairs, but that didn't slow him down. As he ran up them, he heard the opening and closing of a large door accompanied by a swell of voices and music. When he reached the top, he saw who had just left the Ball. His heart began pumping ten times faster as he saw her lift a hand to her eye (was that a tear she was wiping away?) He raced halfway to her, stopped in the middle of the Entrance Hall and shouted "Hermione!"

Hermione stopped and turned wearing a look of complete shock on her face. "Draco," her voice was breathy and surprised.

She took some tentative steps towards him, and at the same he closed most of the distance between them. For a long moment, the two stared at each other, Draco could see the remains of tears in Hermione's eyes, and she could see the fiery passion in his. The distance between them was killing Draco, he had to touch her, to hold her in his arms and feel her warmth, to kiss her, and feel as though every second they were together lasted a lifetime.

He lifted a hand to her cheek and wiped away the trail left behind by the tear. He then moved his hand to the back of her head and laced his fingers through her wavy tendrils. The anger that Hermione had felt towards Draco mere seconds ago had evaporated as soon as he called her name. She breathed in deep; eagerly anticipating what she was hoping would come.

Thankfully it did, almost as if in slow motion, Draco tentatively lowered his lips to hers. They touched softly, but even so, it felt as if an explosion of emotions surged between them. Hermione instinctively circled her arms around Draco's neck, encouraging the kiss further. Draco placed his other hand at the small of Hermione's back. His fingers felt the soft delicate fabric of her dress moving beneath them as she moved her body closer to his. He firmly pressed her even closer so that there was absolutely no space left between them, and they were locked in each others embrace.

It had been far too long since either of them had felt these wonderful sensations that were consuming them now. Hermione moaned with pleasure at the feel of Draco's lips on hers and Draco took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. The passions flowing through both of them were so intoxicating that they could not think of anything else. Nothing else mattered anymore, they were together and they both knew that this was right.

They were so swept up the each others emotions, that neither of them heard the opening of the door to the Great Hall. Harry stopped short then he saw his friend in the arms of the platinum haired Slytherin. Any other time Harry would have probably snapped and succumbed to the urge to hex Malfoy senseless, but he knew that Hermione had been craving this for so long, and he couldn't interrupt her happiness, even if it revolted him. So instead of walking forward, he silently returned to the Great Hall, with an expression of acceptance on his face.

Harry returned to the table where Ginny, Ron, and Luna were still sitting. "Did you find Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, and she's fine," answered Harry as he seated himself next to Ginny. He didn't feel the need to tell them what she had been doing when he found her, so he just let it go.

Outside the Great Hall, Hermione finally pulled away from Draco with a desperate need for air. He allowed her to move only enough to breathe, but he then pulled her into a tight embrace and placed soft kissed on her neck and hair. Hermione was breathing heavily against Draco's robes, and surprisingly she felt tears in her eyes again. But these were tears of happiness and relief. She sobbed once and Draco pulled back so that he could see her face. He lifted her chin up with his hand, held her face securely and for the second time that night, he wiped away her tears. "Why are you crying?" he whispered gently.

"I've missed you so much. Ever since I found out the truth, this is what I've wanted, and I was so afraid that we would never be together again, and . . ."

Draco placed his thumbs over her mouth to silence her; he then followed with a sweet kiss. When it broke, he looked deeply into her eyes, "I've wanted it too."

Hermione beamed up into Draco's silvery eyes. Her own eyes were sparkling with both happiness and the wetness of unshed tears.

Draco leaned in closer so that their noses were touching, "I'm only angry with myself for being so afraid to tell you until now."

This time Hermione initiated the kiss, Draco groaned with longing as he tasted her lips on his once again. Being so close to her, so open with her felt so right, so natural, that he couldn't understand how he had managed to survive without her for so long.

For a long time they stood there holding each other, never wanting to let go, until the music in the Great Hall became loud and distracting. "Do you want to go back to the Ball?" Draco whispered into Hermione's ear.

"No, I just want to be alone with you."

Draco grinned with a hint of mischief, "alright, follow me." He took Hermione's hand, and led her though the hallways, all the way to the secret library room.

Hermione grinned as she stepped inside first, "where it all began."

Draco stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her burying his face in her soft brunette locks, "where it all began," he agreed.

The two moved over to the couch, and Draco sat in the corner while Hermione curled up against him, kissing him as she did. After several more passionate kisses, she hugged him tight and rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her so that she felt like he could never let go. She hugged his arms tighter to her and closed her eyes to she could permanently imprint these wondrous feelings of happiness in her mind forever.

Once she opened her eyes again, she absentmindedly began stroking her hands across his lower arm. Her hand traveled all the way down to his hand and on its return up, it went beneath the sleeve of his robes, softly caressing his pale skin. It was a completely harmless action, but when she reached the middle of his lower arm Draco jumped as if he had been hit by lightning.

Hermione was thrown to the other side of the couch, while Draco quickly moved away towards the wall. He kept his back to her, his head was down and he was clutching the arm she had touched with his right hand.

Hermione was ready to tell him off for startling her like that until she realized what he was really reacting to. She moved over to the side of the couch closest to him, but remained seated. She gulped and bravely opened her mouth to talk, "does it hurt to touch it?" Her voice was very quiet and it quavered a bit as she spoke.

Draco took in a long breath and let it out just as slowly, "no," he answered without looking at her. He had been enjoying the feel of their bodies together on the couch, but something that he couldn't control snapped when she had touched the Mark. It was almost as if he feared that if she touched it, she would be tainted too.

Long seconds ticked away in silence before Draco turned and seated himself on the other side of the couch. Hermione felt terrible when she saw his face. The deadened look in his eyes was more pronounced than ever. "I'm sorry" she choked. She cautiously moved closer and brought her hand to Draco's shoulder.

Draco shook his head, "don't be," he muttered. Hermione was surprised how physically exhausted he seemed all of a sudden.

Hermione gulped, now that she was thinking about it, her curiosity was peaked. She knew that she didn't want to see the horrible Mark which befouled Draco's otherwise flawless skin. Clearly the Mark had done more damage to his pride and confidence than she had ever realized, and perhaps that was why it seemed important to her to see it now. She didn't want him to feel that he had to hide anything from her, including the Mark. Ever so slowly, she slid her hand down Draco's arm from his shoulder. Beneath the fabric she could feel his muscles tense the closer she got to his lower arm. When she finally touched the area of his robes where the Mark was, he jerked away again, though not as violently as before.

Hermione grabbed his upper arm and gazed at him with pleading eyes, "please." He only looked back at her with a stony expression, "Draco you don't have to hide it from me, you don't have to hide anything."

He maintained the same stony expression in his face, but Hermione felt his muscles relax, so she took that to mean that she had permission. With exceeding care, she slid her hand over the fabric of his robes until she reached the end of the sleeve. Once there, she paused and held her breath. With both hands, she gently inched his sleeve up until it was passed his elbow, and she finally released the breath she was holding. Somehow the Mark seemed ten times more repulsive and evil than it ever had before.

The fear this Mark inspired was legendary, and to prove she was not going to be afraid of it, she ran her thumbs up and down it. Then she traced the serpent with her index finger. This Mark symbolized hatred for all that she was and all that she believed in. It repulsed her.

But then her eyes turned up to his face. His eyes were cold, nearly black with hatred and they were locked on the Mark. The look of hatred she saw now was far beyond any look she had ever seen on his face. Hermione's chest felt pained and at the same time, her heart seemed to swell with emotion. She moved her hands up to his face and held him firmly so that he was forced to look at her. But instead of speaking words, she spoke in a language they both seemed to understand best around each other. She kissed him with all the passion she could, but even so, he didn't begin to respond until just before she pulled away.

She backed away so slightly that their lips could still brush up against each other. That was when she spoke. "Draco, I love you, because of who I know _you_are, that stupid Mark never changed that, and it never will." While she spoke she brought her hands from his face to his hands. Now she held them tight to show that she meant what she said.

Draco's head sank so that their foreheads were touching and stray strands of his hair tickled her cheeks. He closed his eyes and laced his fingers into hers. "I don't deserve a girl like you," he whispered.

"Yes you do," Hermione assured as she locked her eyes with his, "because you know me, I demand the best in everything." She smiled and pulled away a little, "And I demand you."

Draco allowed those words to hang for a moment before responding, but when he did, he wrapped his arms around her and flashed her his old mischievous smirk, "who am I to deny an order like that?"

Hermione giggled playfully and hugged him back. Draco directed her chin up towards his face and with a fiery urgency he pressed his lips to hers again. He lost himself in the tingling sensations she brought to him. And every touch seemed to set his nerves on fire with desire.

Soon, they were both out of breath, and Draco (who had somehow managed to get on top of Hermione) lay back on the opposite side of the couch. She sat up, curled up beside him and buried her face against his chest. Neither felt the need for words at the moment, so instead of speaking, they simply held each other. Hermione, for once, was not thinking ahead, her mind was only in the present, in this room, beside the one she loved. The thoughts of concern for her future after Hogwarts which had plagued her all day were the furthest thing from her mind right now. And with only sweet thoughts filling her head, she calmly drifted into a gentle slumber.

Draco on the other hand did not find it as easy to chase other thoughts away. Sure, when she had assured him that the Mark meant nothing to her, then her had been relieved, ecstatic even. But what would happen after tomorrow? They were still going to be leading very different lives; Hermione, as always, seemed to have her life all planned out. But Draco on the other hand, felt completely lost, what was he to do now that his whole reason for existence, the very purpose he had been born to fulfill was gone? He couldn't picture himself doing anything with the Ministry; it seemed much too, for lack of a better term, _below_ his standards. Maybe he would travel a bit, he had the money to do it after all, and though he had gone on holiday with his parents tons of times, he had never been allowed to go where he wanted or do as he pleased. Perhaps it would be good for him to see the world a bit; maybe it would provide him with some direction in his life. But if he was off traveling, and she was here training to become an auror, what would happen to them? What if they were to grow apart? Draco did not enjoy that thought, and though he did his best to chase it from his mind, it still lingered in the very back of his conscience. 'Don't think about it,' he demanded to himself. 'Just think about now, she's right here, in your arms,' Draco tightened his hold on Hermione. 'Concentrate on her, how beautiful she is, how sweet she smells, how delicate she feels, listen to her soft breathing.' Draco found that concentrating fully on Hermione did help him to relax quite a bit, and eventually, he joined her in sleep.

- - - - - - - - - -

Draco woke up first the next morning, the sun was rising through the window and it pulled him from his slumber. For a while, as the sun continued to rise, sending more golden beams through the window and onto his face, Draco lay still on the couch. He stroked Hermione's hair, which had come undone from the elegant knot she had put it in for the Ball, and was now in a rather messy tangle.

Gradually, the feel of Draco's hand moving along her hair and back caused Hermione to slip from pleasant dreams into reality. At first she kept her eyes closed, unsure of which events she could now recall were dreams, and which had actually happened. With her eyes closed she noticed that the fabric beneath her cheek was not that of a pillow, rather she was laying on something firm, yet comfortable. Once she was more awake, she consciously registered the hand stroking her. She smiled in spite of herself, it had not been a dream, she really had met with Draco last night, and the memories were real. She did not want their time together to end so rather than speak; she merely tightened her hold of him. He stopped stroking her, and instead held her tighter in return.

Finally, Hermione lifted her head so that she could look at his face. "So what do we do now?" she whispered.

Draco took a moment to respond, "I don't know."

Hermione lifted herself off of Draco, who followed her into a sitting position. "Draco I don't want this to be over."

"Neither do I."

"Then we will see each other again, after we leave Hogwarts?"

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we didn't."

Hermione smiled at that. She placed her hand delicately on his cheek and leaned in for a soft kiss, "I love you."

There lips were barely a millimeter apart, "I love you too." Draco's hot breath sent chills of desire through Hermione's nerves, but she forced herself to ignore them. Instead of prolonging the good-bye any longer, she took one more look into his eyes, and then walked out of the room.

Draco watched her go with a mixture of feelings swirling within him. The way they had parted felt so up in the air, so unsure and unsettled. They both loved each other, yet he did not know when he would see her again after they left school. He did not like the feeling unsettled, and as he walked through the halls to the Slytherin common room, all he could think about was her and when he would see her again.

- - - - - - - - - -

The journey on the Hogwarts Express began cheerful as always, but one the end of the ride neared the mood for the seventh years turned rather sorrowful. Everyone was saying goodbye to their friends because they did not know when, if ever, they would get to see them again.

When the scarlet engine pulled into the station, Harry lugged his trunk down end exited to the platform. Hermione however needed to take some time to reflect before she got off the train for the last time. She could hardly believe how much had changed since she had gotten her first Hogwarts letter telling her that she was a witch. Back then she did all she could to learn as much as possible and prove that she belonged here. Now here she was, she had graduated as Head Girl and the number one student in her year. And in the summer, she Harry and Ron were to begin auror training. Everything seemed to have gone by so fast, in the blink of an eye.

She sighed with a smile; her life was just about perfect. At that point there was a soft knock at the door. "Come in," Hermione said as she turned to pull her trunk down. But as she was heaving it, two strong and pale hands grabbed the trunk and pulled it down for her. Once the trunk was on the ground, she turned to face the owner of the hands with an even bigger smile on her face.

Draco Malfoy, the man who had surprisingly and unexpectedly inspired more confidence in her than anyone else ever had. She gazed into his eyes; the silver flecks within them were glittering back at her.

"I wanted to be sure I got to say goodbye properly before you left the platform," he began quietly as he moved his hands to her hips.

"I don't want to have to say goodbye," she whispered hopefully, as she looped her arms around Draco's torso, encouraging him to come closer.

"Well," Draco stepped forward so that there bodies were barely millimeters apart, "I got an owl from mother this morning after you left, and she'll be in France until August, so the Manor is empty except for me. I was hoping that you might like to come to stay for a while."

Hermione beamed and kissed him fully on the lips, "I would love to."

Draco smiled against her lips, lifting her up as he did it. Hermione half laughed and half screamed when she felt her feet leave the floor, and on instinct she held Draco tighter. Once he placed her back down, he took a step back; this was the hardest part of the train ride for both of them. They had finally gotten back together, and now they had to leave each other again.

Draco stepped back and lowered his hand into his pocket, "before I forget, I found something that I think you might have lost." He spoke in a curious manner, which caused Hermione look rather confused. She hadn't found anything missing when she packed her trunk.

In answer to her silent question, Draco pulled out the dragon pendant he had found in his trunk. Hermione let out a small gasp, as she reached for it. "Oh Draco," was all she could say. The pendant was just as beautiful as it had been the first time he'd given it to her, but for some reason now it seemed to mean so much more. For a few moments, she merely gazed at it, marveling as she always had at the intricate detail and beauty of it.

As she examined the pendant, Draco gazed at her. Everything about her was beautiful when her eyes were sparkling as they were now. He was very relieved at her reaction, because he honestly had not been sure if he should return the pendant to her or not. What if it reminded her of the bad stuff instead of the good? But her reaction relieved his concerns in an instant, and he was glad he'd made the right decision.

"Do you think you could put it on for me?" She asked, her voice filled with shy sweetness.

Draco gladly obliged, and stepped behind her. He gently moved her hair to one side, and she handed him the necklace, feeling a tingling as their fingers touched.

He easily clasped the necklace, but held her in place a moment longer, gently kissing the area between her neck and her shoulder before letting her go.

Draco's kiss sent shivers of excitement down her spine, and she could feel her eyes begin to water, "I love you Draco, and I always will."

Draco turned her around so that they were once again facing each other and smiled the smile that he reserved only for Hermione, "I love you too, and we'll see each other soon, I promise." Unable to resist, Draco stepped forward and gave Hermione one more deep kiss. But when it was over, he turned and swept through the corridor without looking back.

Hermione let out a contented sigh, and finally gathered her stuff to leave. She waited in the line to pass through the barrier with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. When she was finally next in line to leave, she looked back at the Hogwarts Express one last time, 'So this is the end,' she thought with a bit of remorse. But then she touched her finger to her lips, she could still taste him and she could almost feel him holding her in that way that made her feel as if she he would never let go. Her hand slowly traveled from her lips down to the dragon pendant, bringing a loving smile to her face, 'or maybe this is just the beginning.'

* * *

And there you have it. It has been a pleasure writing this fic, and I would like to thank all the people who submitted reviews for any/all of the chapters. You all inspired and encouraged me to continue writing even when I felt like I was completely lost, you always made me eager to write more, and you all are the reason that I enjoy writing fan fictions. So thank you to all of you: 

_zuvalupa, elektra30, jesska-14, Sunflower18, __Chantal J, __Sayaku-chan, Ginny-W13, __Karma Chameleon, __I wish your heart was mine, anIme-prYncess, FalconWing, Alcapacien, Sirius-harry-n-remus, Fire Angel, steelo, unknown, fieryred20, HarryPotterFan670, FallenBrokenAngel, roundrockrules, Hermione Weasley192, CB, comedy gal, Jaezi, shadow-n-the-dark, Anonymous-139, Lee, JessicaDracoMalfoy, aurora black, KCGryffindor, Phoebe Telumetar, TheAngelOfDarkness, __SwTnDrEaMyPnAy03, lhearttomfelton, __SharkAttak, melia, Jessie, ilovetom88, Cold -eyes-for-you, melovedraco, purple pixie, scorpiogrrll, the mask he wears, southernsweetdevil, __terratasha,_ _Twistedtwin, ydole3343, Kara Black, BleedingHeart14, hotskittles, torn to pieces, cardmajic, Buck-A-Beak, midnightwanderer01, openhearted, sissified, Kyra Malfoy, sad-soulz, Macking About, __Alberta, __DemonicFairie, attention, cindy, SweetSummerSun31, sprinkles.over.glass, dancerfreak1991, stranger who loves your story, Dumdumditz23, __Me, __bigred20, __random gal, __Shuggr-holic, __llama, __SCInfinity, Krazy Krysia ,NeVeRmInD2, Stella, angelchic4ever, cargarbinx, Echo Levano, Siria, POPsicle-HP4EVER07, tom-felton–luver1-2-2, Cait, Miss Morg Malfoy, __ZippyRox, AvidPotterFan, calgal, Brielle Lupin, __A Luminous Lily, MrsTomFelton007, Elle Felton922, Ice Queen, Danni Felton, __LizMo721, __Emily, Benji Girl, PITBULL55, LaurenJohnson924, tr, You Rock, LJ924, mickey823, cute lil girl, dark girl, Crstalline Sacchrine, emzgurl, huga, Cappuccino and Kittens, dracosgirl2007, Laendra, KrispySteph, DrStrangelove007, Clear Black Glass, Miri, lsmyth, mAlFoYiSaWeSoMe, Danik, gabsadd, Tinka Shimmer Belle, luna _

I would love to hear what everyone thought of the fic now that it is complete, and since there are no further chapters, I will thank everyone now ahead of time for their reviews.

For anyone who is interested, as I have mentioned before, I am working on 2 more fics. One is the sequel to this fic, and the other is a separate DM/HG story (check out my profile for the teasers). If you would like me to e-mail you a notice when I post either/both of the fics, just include your e-mail address in your review. If you give me your e-mail address, I promise that the only time I will e-mail you will be when I post one of the fics, so you won't have to worry about random spam e-mails or anything. Of course the other option is to just add me to your author alert list. Whatever you decide to do, I will not be posting either fic for at least a month, just so you know.

Finally, I have learned so much through writing this fic, and I thank everyone who helped and supported me along the way, it has been an awesome journey.

_Slytherin-KittyCat_


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